Madison, Wisconsin
CNN
—
As former President Donald Trump returns to Wisconsin Tuesday night for the first time in nearly two years, Democrats are turning their attention to more than just him as they campaign for the general election in the key battleground state.
“Are you interested in Robert Kennedy Jr. this fall?” progressive host Mike Klute asked this week on his “Devil’s Advocate radio show,” where listeners call in and compare notes about liberal politics. Asked. “Would you consider voting for a third party?”
As Wisconsin voters cast their ballots Tuesday in a largely symbolic primary seven months before the November election, what’s on the minds of Democrats and Republicans as they prepare for a rematch between President Joe Biden and President Trump. That question is looming over the issue, and Kennedy’s independent candidacy is increasingly a cause for concern. The wild card of the race.
“In my opinion, a third party candidacy is an unacceptable answer in the 2024 elections,” Crute said, delivering an even more pointed message to the audience. “Please don’t throw away your vote.”
One need look no further than Wisconsin to see how serious the threat of a third-party challenger is to a rematch between Biden and Trump. In 2020, no Green Party candidate appeared on the ballot, and Biden won the state by less than 21,000 votes. Four years ago, Trump led Wisconsin by nearly 23,000 votes, while Green Party candidate Jill Stein won more than 30,000 voters. Mr. Stein, along with Mr. Kennedy and the left-wing academic Cornel West, will this year represent voters who are unimpressed or resentful of the prospect of choosing again between two of the most unpopular candidates of modern times. He is putting his name forward as a candidate.
“I think Jill Stein of the Green Party is as worried about me as Kennedy is,” said Klute, who has her own progressive show in the state. “But I’m concerned. Anything that changes the calculation of a direct election between Mr. Trump and Mr. Biden, I don’t like it.”
In an interview with CNN’s “Erin Burnett Outfront” on Monday, President Kennedy downplayed concerns about President Trump’s potential to undermine the election. He argued that neither Biden nor Trump intends to advance the policy goals that Biden wants to prioritize, such as reducing the national debt and defense budget.
“I don’t think either President Trump or President Biden can solve this nation’s existential debt crisis,” Kennedy said. “I don’t think either policy will get us out of our eternal war addiction to foreign wars.”
For now, Kennedy’s peace message appears to be more of a concern for Democrats, who are divided over Biden’s support for Israel’s relentless war in Gaza. Although both Mr. Biden and Mr. Trump secured their respective party’s nominations, progressives are once again urging Democrats to submit a protest vote, this time without instructions, as a warning to Mr. Biden.
A national opinion poll conducted by Marquette University School of Law in February highlighted the uncertainty surrounding the upcoming general election. The poll found Trump leading Biden among registered voters, 51% to 49%, within the poll’s margin of error. With the addition of third-party candidates, support for both Biden and Trump decreased by about 10 percentage points. Mr. Trump received 42% of the vote, Mr. Biden 39%, Mr. Kennedy 15%, and Mr. West and Mr. Stein combined 5%. In other words, one in five voters appears to be open to third-party voting.
As Mr. Kennedy seeks to qualify for the presidential ballot in states across the country, supporters in Wisconsin are gathering the required 2,000 signatures here, a much lower hurdle than in many other states. Steps are being taken to organize a summer campaign for State law requires signatures to be collected between July 1st and August 6th.
Phil Anderson, a Wisconsin liberal and longtime supporter of Mr. Kennedy’s candidacy, said widespread dissatisfaction among voters with the idea of a rematch between Mr. Biden and Mr. Trump provides a strong avenue for third-party candidacy. He said he believed it.
“It’s really advancing the idea that the two major parties just give us candidates and choose from them,” Anderson said. “Even if they have some sympathy for Trump or Biden, they understand that the game is rigged and their voices are not being heard.”
Mr. Anderson said there was little doubt that Mr. Kennedy would siphon support from both Mr. Trump and Mr. Biden if he were on the November ballot.
“The fact that he’s a protest candidate means something,” Anderson said. “There’s going to be some people who go to the polls and look at Trump and Biden and get a little angry and think, ‘Kennedy has to be better.’ Even if they don’t know much about him, he’s You feel like you have to be better.”
Brian Schimming, chairman of the Wisconsin Republican Party, said he believes the prospect of Kennedy and other third-party candidates on the November ballot poses a bigger challenge for Biden than for Trump.
“He has some issues that probably have some appeal for our base,” Simming said. “But 10 days before the election, is he more likely to hurt Democrats than us? I don’t think there’s a question.”
At least so far, most surveys suggest that the Republican base is more vibrant than the Democratic base this year. Simming said the energy will shift toward loyalty to Trump over Biden.
“Our foundation is likely to be solid,” he said. “The president’s base is weakening, and having options like Robert F. Kennedy (Jr.) is more troublesome for them than it is for us at that level.”
While the Democratic National Committee has installed a team of lawyers to scrutinize voting applications across the country and firmly contests Kennedy’s candidacy, Democratic leaders in Wisconsin are worried that third-party candidates will Recognize the uncertainty it brings.
“I hope we’ve all learned our lessons, but we just can’t risk a second Trump administration,” Democratic state Sen. Kelda Royce of Madison said in 2016. He added that Hillary Clinton’s defeat in the United States still lingers in his mind. That’s what most Democrats here think.
Stein has often argued that if she hadn’t run, voters who voted for her in 2016 would have stayed home instead of voting for Clinton. But Democrats have long viewed Mr. Stein’s campaign as one of the decisive factors in handing over Wisconsin and the presidency to Mr. Trump.
“The challenge is to make sure the public knows about President Biden’s accomplishments,” Roys said. “But we can’t afford to take any risks. Everyone in Wisconsin is very aware that the election is coming up, and that’s why we’re not taking anything for granted. .”
As Democrats gathered for a neighborhood meeting on Madison’s southwest side Monday night, Dane County Board of Supervisors member Anthony Gray said it’s hard to gauge the true influence of third-party candidates. said.
“We’re not panicking yet. Let’s see how third parties develop,” Gray said. “But the person I’m most worried about is Bobby Jr.”
