Opinion: RFK Jr. is poised to be a chaos factor in November

Lee Drutman wrote for CNN Opinion on how Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s anti-establishment campaign stands as a potential catalyst for significant political upheaval and reform.

In many ways, Kennedy’s eccentric anti-system populism echoes Trump’s 2016 campaign. Like Trump 2016’s posturing, Kennedy 2024 also taps the under-represented “populist” quadrant of the electorate. Trump, however, has drifted into pure partisan warfare and narcissism, leaving a populist opening.

Because Kennedy’s support coalition is so unusual, and heavy with otherwise unlikely voters, his support numbers vary quite a bit across polls (it’s harder for pollsters to reach and properly weight his likely supporters). This especially makes his campaign a wildcard. He is not so much drawing from Democrats and Republicans as he is drawing from voters who are deeply dissatisfied with their choices.