no appetite for libertarians
 

Latest Monmouth poll...


Biden currently has the support of 50% of registered voters and Trump has
the support of 41%. Another 3% say they would vote for an independent
candidate and 5% are undecided. This represents a slightly wider lead for
the Democrat than in previous Monmouth polls – 48% to 44% in April and 48%
to 45% in March.

When Rep. Justin Amash of Michigan is added to the mix as a Libertarian
candidate, Biden gets 47%, Trump gets 40% and Amash gets 5%. During the
last presidential cycle, Gary Johnson started his presidential bid as a
Libertarian with 11% support in a March 2016 Monmouth poll. His poll
standing dropped to 5% by October and he ended up earning just 3% of the
national vote. Fewer than 1 in 5 voters have an opinion of Amash (6%
favorable and 13% unfavorable), which is similar to voter opinion of
Johnson in the spring of 2016 (9% favorable and 15% unfavorable).

“Overall, there is not as much of an appetite for a third option as there
was four years ago. It’s too early to tell whether Amash will have an
impact but if this election ends up being as close as 2016, even a small
showing can have a crucial impact,� said Patrick Murray, director of the
independent Monmouth University Polling Institute.

Trump registers a negative 40% favorable to 53% unfavorable opinion, which
is somewhat more negative than prior polls. The incumbent had a 42%
favorable to 50% unfavorable rating in April, a 46% to 49% rating in March,
and a 44% to 53% rating in February. Biden’s rating has also slipped over
the past two months. The Democrat currently has a negative 41% favorable to
44% unfavorable rating, which is down slightly from even splits in April
(41% to 42%) and March (43% to 43%), but is less negative than his standing
in February before he emerged as the Democratic frontrunner (40% to 53%).

“Biden’s lead continues to build even as overall opinion of him remains
soft. It’s possible that recent headlines about a sexual assault claim may
have had an impact on his favorability rating, but most voters still see
this election mainly as a referendum on Trump,� said Murray.