Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has made “astounding” gains in popularity among Republicans, according to CNN poll analyst Harry Enten.
Kennedy was questioned Wednesday by the Senate Finance Committee for his nomination to the top office at the Department of Health and Human Services, and a key metric identified by Enten pushes the odds in favor of confirmation.
‘RFK is the favorite to become the HHS secretary, but it’s not a foregone conclusion.’
Enten showed that Kennedy has made tremendous gains in popularity, but only among Republicans.
“This is perhaps the reason why I don’t necessarily think there’s gonna be that many Republicans who vote against him,” said Enten. “Look at RFK’s net favorability. Among Republicans, look at this now: plus 60 points. That is up from when he was running for the Democratic nomination two years ago when it was plus 17. Democrats hate RFK Jr. I’d be surprised if he gets any Democrats.”
He added that the nomination was the first time in HHS history that a president chose a nominee of the opposite political party.
Despite Kennedy’s popularity among Republicans, Enten noted that the odds of his confirmation dropped slightly in the average of betting markets from 82% a week ago to 74% currently.
“RFK is the favorite to become the HHS secretary, but it’s not a foregone conclusion,” he added.
Kennedy has been excoriated by his critics over comments he made about vaccines even prior to the coronavirus pandemic, but during the congressional hearings, he softened his criticism.
“I believe that vaccines play a critical role in health care,” he said. “All of my kids are vaccinated. I’ve written many books on vaccines. My first book on vaccines in 2014, the first line in it is ‘I’m not anti-vaccine,’ and the last line is ‘I’m not anti-vaccine.’”
The Senate committee will vote on the nomination, and if approved, it will go to a vote in the full Senate.
Enten’s comments can be viewed on the video he posted to his social media account.
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