The candidacy of Robert F. Kennedy has become a real headache for the two big favorites to occupy the White House after the next election. A member of one of America's most prestigious political families has brought together more than 10% of the vote, putting him in right in the scope of Joe Biden and Donald Trump. Furthermore, a demographic analysis of his supporters indicates that his candidacy resonates especially among minorities, with 14% saying in a recent survey that they would check his name on their ballot.

According to a New York Times / Sienna poll, Kennedy is the third choice (10%) for voters, behind Trump (40%) and Biden (33%). His candidacy is supported by 14% of Hispanic respondents (compared to 31% each for the Republican and the Democrat), which represents a serious setback for the aspirations of his rivals. Racial minorities are the most fervent supporters of the independent candidate, with 12% of support from "other" minorities and 11% black voters. Among white voters, however, he only received 9% support.

This trend follows if educational level and race are taken into account. In this case, the strongest support comes from voters who are not white and do not have a college education (14%). The rest of the options (white voters with and without higher education or non-white voters who attended college) only saw 9% support for Kennedy.

More Kennedy, less Biden

By gender, there is no difference between Kennedy voters. Both men and women choose him as president at an equal rate: 10% . There are notable differences, however, if the age of the respondents is taken into account. His support declines as age increases. The youngest voters (18-29) give him 18% support, just 8 points behind Joe Biden (26%). Thirteen percent of Americans between 30 and 44 said they would vote for Kennedy, a figure that drops to 8% among those between 45-64 and is at its lowest level (5%) among those over 65.

Kennedy's presence at the polls in the swing states shows that he could be especially damaging to the Democratic candidate. Where the independent has better numbers, the difference between Trump and Biden is greater.