President Joe Biden and his main Republican rival, former President Donald Trump, start the election year tied, according to a Reuter/Ipsos poll released this Wednesday (10). Many Americans appear unenthusiastic about their options as the state nomination process approaches, starting with the Iowa GOP caucuses on Monday.
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The national survey reveals that 35% of respondents would vote for Biden, while the same percentage expresses their intention to vote for Trump. Almost a third indicated a lack of support for either candidate, 13% said they will not vote, 9% will support another candidate, and 8% are undecided. When forced to choose between the two, responses are evenly split, with 48% for each candidate.
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Interest in independent candidates is evident in the survey. Anti-vaccine activist Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a member of the famous political dynasty, running as an independent, received the support of 18% of respondents when included as an option. That dropped support for Biden to 29% and Trump to 30% in a three-candidate race.
The poll, conducted online and randomly among 4,677 U.S. adults nationally, did not focus on early voting states such as Iowa and New Hampshire. However, it highlights that Biden and Trump begin the year as solid favorites for their party’s nomination. Trump leads his Republican competitors by more than 37 percentage points, while none of Biden’s opponents for the Democratic nomination have achieved more than 2% support among the party’s voters. The poll reflects the polarization of politics in the US, with 76% of Democrats indicating support for Biden in the November 5 election and 76% of Republicans declaring support for Trump. Independent voters do not show enthusiasm for either candidate, with only 17% saying they will vote for Trump and 11% supporting Biden. Meanwhile, 41% of this group