NEWS AND OPINION:
Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. reveals that he is “hitting the campaign trail to continue his bid for president of the United States of America,” according to an written announcement released by his campaign Tuesday.
“He will share with voters a vision of how an independent presidency can ‘heal the divide’ — freeing the country from the intense polarized partisanship that has paralyzed American politics,” the announcement said.
The White House hopeful also offered a word or two about the Republican and Democratic parties.
“Locked in their habitual debates, the two parties are often blind to common sense solutions. This formula has left them barely able to govern,” Mr. Kennedy said in a written personal statement.
“The system runs on inertia, year after year, decade after decade. It’s like a runaway bus full of teenagers fighting about who should take the wheel, not realizing that the driver merely follows the GPS set by the crooked insiders and corporate lobbyists,” he noted.
Found at Kennedy24.com, the candidate’s campaign site offers visitors a written promise in bright red and blue letters: “Declare your independence. We will end the forever wars, clean up government, increase wealth for all, and tell Americans the truth.”
Mr. Kennedy also offered an video statement which includes vintage black-and-white film clips of John F. Kennedy and Robert F. Kennedy — his uncle and father, respectively. There are also six video statements outlining his take on a number of voter issues.
“I’m not just going to take the wheel. I’m going to reboot the GPS. And do you know who is going to set the destination? You are,” he tells the viewer in his on-camera statement, which runs just over two minutes.
Meanwhile, Mr. Kennedy will host a voter meet-and-greet event in Annapolis, Maryland, on Nov. 6, and a similar event in Portland, Maine, two days later.
THE TRUMP FACTOR
The White House horse race continues elsewhere as the 2024 election sneaks up on us. Keep in mind that the Iowa presidential caucuses are set to take place on Jan. 15 — a mere 75 days from Wednesday.
So how are the major contenders doing?
Former President Donald Trump maintains “a massive primary lead” in the field, according to a Morning Consult poll of 3,912 likely Republican primary voters conducted Oct. 27-29.
“Trump leads Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis by 48 percentage points among potential Republican primary voters (61% to 13%). Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy are tied in third place with 7% backing each. Former Vice President Mike Pence ended his campaign on Saturday, leaving his 5% support up for grabs,” writes Eli Yokley, a political analyst for Morning Consult.
“DeSantis, Haley are splitting second-choice support: Among the roughly 2 in 5 potential GOP primary voters who do not support Trump, there is not much consensus on who they would back if their preferred candidate wasn’t in the race. Roughly 3 in 10 (29%) said their second choice would be Trump, followed by 16% who said DeSantis and 15% who said Haley,” he continues.
“Biden and Trump are tied among the overall electorate: Trump and Biden garner the same level of support (43%) among the overall electorate following a week that featured news coverage of the former president’s legal troubles and of the current president’s handling of the latest Israel-Hamas war,” Mr. Yokley said.
And for those who are curious, former Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey received 3% of the vote, Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina 2% and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum 1%. Former Gov. Asa Hutchinson of Arkansas got no support while “someone else” won 2% of the vote.
THE BIDEN FACTOR
Gallup does not have the most promising news for the White House, in the meantime.
“President Joe Biden’s job approval rating among Democrats has tumbled 11 percentage points in the past month to 75%, the worst reading of his presidency from his own party. This drop has pushed his overall approval rating down four percentage points to 37%, matching his personal low,” writes Gallup analyst Megan Brenan.
“At the same time, Biden’s approval among independents has declined four percentage points, to 35%,” she said.
Republican opinions about Mr. Biden remain “unchanged,” Ms. Brenan said. And what is that number? Gallup finds that 5% of Republicans give the president a positive nod.
These findings are from a Gallup survey of 1,009 U.S. adults conducted through telephone interviews Oct. 2-23.
FOXIFIED
Fox News Channel finished October as cable TV’s most-watched network in daytime hours — and in second place in prime time, bested only by ESPN, according to Nielsen Media Research.
Fox News averaged 2.1 million prime-time viewers daily, MSNBC attracted 1.3 million and CNN 722,000. This marks the 33rd consecutive month that Fox News has triumphed over its two news rivals.
In the daytime, the Fox News audience numbered 1.4 million; MSNBC drew 895,000, CNN 600.000. In addition, Fox News also aired 94 of the top 100 cable news telecasts in October.
It’s of note that signature morning show “Fox & Friends” enjoyed an audience of 1.2 million viewers that month. Comparatively, CNN’s “This Morning” averaged 404,000 viewers.
The standout programs were “The Five” with 3 million viewers, “Jesse Watters Primetime” (2.6 million), “Hannity” (2.4 million), plus “Special Report” and “The Ingraham Angle” with 2.2 million viewers each. Late-night funnyman Greg Gutfeld continued to rule his time slot with 2.1 million viewers while “Fox News at Night,” anchored by Trace Gallagher at 11 p.m., delivered 1.3 million viewers.
POLL DU JOUR
• 16% of registered U.S. voters would describe their political ideology as “very conservative.”
• 25% would describe their ideology as “somewhat conservative.”
• 35% would describe their ideology as “moderate.”
• 13% would describe their ideology as “somewhat liberal.”
• 10% would describe their ideology as “very liberal.”
SOURCE: A NewsNation/Decision Desk HQ poll of 1,000 registered U.S. voters conducted Oct. 23-24 and released Tuesday.
• Contact Jennifer Harper at [email protected].
