RFK Jr.’s Trump Endorsement Could Hurt Kamala Harris. But Democrats Aren’t Worried.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. suspended his independent presidential campaign and endorsed former President Donald Trump at a rally in Arizona on Friday. Trump gave him a dramatic welcome, complete with pyrotechnics and the walk-on song “My Hero.”

Democrats, who spent more than a year and millions of dollars arguing the presence of the conspiratorial scion of one of the American establishment’s most prominent families was a direct threat to their electoral hopes, are now insisting the Trump campaign’s song won’t turn out to be prophetic.

But with Vice President Kamala Harris at the top of the ticket and Kennedy’s numbers cratering with Democratic-leaning voters, it’s not clear their efforts won’t end up helping Trump in an election likely to come down to a few thousand votes in just a handful of states.

On Monday, Kennedy told right-wing radio host Glenn Beck that his internal polling showed a large majority of his supporters would vote for Trump if he were not in the race. Kennedy dropped out in order to avoid spoiling Trump’s bid against Harris, he told Beck.

“The likelihood was that my presence in the race would get Vice President Harris elected,” Kennedy said.

There is evidence in public national polling to back up Kennedy’s claims. If forced to choose between Harris and Trump, 48% of Kennedy voters would back Trump, compared with 23% for Harris and 29% who “don’t know,” according to a New York Times/Siena College poll conducted in late July. The same poll found Harris trailing Trump in a head-to-head contest but tied when Kennedy and three other third-party candidates were figured into the race.

Democratic operatives, however, insisted Kennedy’s effect would end up being minimal.

“Here’s what RFK Jr.’s endorsement of