RFK Jr.’s Polling Strength Undermines Democrats’ ‘Party of Science’ Claims

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s entry into the Democratic presidential race and the surprising level of support his campaign has generated force his party to confront two dismaying realities.

The first is obvious: Democratic voters are not eager to see the incumbent president, Joe Biden, run for a second term in the White House. Either the institutional mechanisms that should spare the incumbent president this embarrassment have atrophied, or a sizable minority of Democrats no longer responds to them. The second is even more existential from the Democratic perspective: RFK Jr.’s presidential bid takes aim at the very idea of what it meant to be a Democrat in the Trump years.

About the Author

Noah Rothman

Noah Rothman is a senior writer at National Review. His third book, Blood and Progress: A Century of Left-Wing Violence, was published by Hachette in May 2026.

Featured Tags

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s entry into the Democratic presidential race and the surprising level of support his campaign has generated force his party to confront two dismaying realities.

The first is obvious: Democratic voters are not eager to see the incumbent president, Joe Biden, run for a second term in the White House. Either the institutional mechanisms that should spare the incumbent president this embarrassment have atrophied, or a sizable minority of Democrats no longer responds to them. The second is even more existential from the Democratic perspective: RFK Jr.’s presidential bid takes aim at the very idea of what it meant to be a Democrat in the Trump years.

About the Author

Noah Rothman

Noah Rothman is a senior writer at National Review. His third book, Blood and Progress: A Century of Left-Wing Violence, was published by Hachette in May 2026.