Biden leads Kennedy by 60 points in New Hampshire: survey

Around 70 percent of New Hampshire Democrats support President Biden in the 2024 Democratic primary field, according to a new University of New Hampshire poll.

Biden holds a sizable 60-point lead over his closest competitor, anti-vaccine activist Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., who received 10 percent support in the poll. Author Marianne Williamson received only 4 percent.

Despite the incumbent’s sizable lead, questions still remain over whether Biden can win the New Hampshire primary because he may not be on the ballot.

The Democratic Party named South Carolina as its first primary state for 2024, but a New Hampshire law requires it to go first nationally, creating a situation where Biden may be left off the ballot entirely. 

According to the poll, if Biden is left off the ballot, 65 percent of respondents said they would write him in anyway. Sixty-seven percent of Biden respondents said they are “definitely decided” on supporting the president.

The two primary opponents also lack in the second-choice ranking, with a plurality of voters saying they would select another candidate that isn’t on the ballot if their first choice wasn’t possible.

The poll also showed Biden as the most favorable candidate by a wide margin. Sixty-five percent of respondents said they have a favorable view of Biden, compared to 9 percent for Kennedy and 5 percent for Williamson. 

Kennedy was the most polarizing candidate, with 69 percent of respondents having an unfavorable view despite him finishing second in the poll. He has come under widespread backlash after he repeated an antisemitic conspiracy theory about COVID-19.

Kennedy’s support is strongest among self-described moderates and Republicans, while Williamson is strongest among socialists, pollsters said.

In national polls, Biden holds a similarly wide lead over his primary opponents, and is neck-and-neck with Republican frontrunner former President Trump.

The poll of 743 likely Democratic voters was taken between July 13-17. The margin of error was plus or minus 3.6 percent.