What’s With RFK Jr.’s Double-Digit Polling?

It’s the final week of June and that means that we are anxiously awaiting the decisions in several high-profile Supreme Court cases. The remaining cases touch on issues including affirmative action, President Biden’s student loan forgiveness program, business services to LGBTQ people and the power of state legislatures.

In this installment of the FiveThirtyEight Politics podcast, we take a look at what various public opinion polls have found on affirmative action and ask whether it’s a good or bad use of polling. We also explore what to make of RFK Jr.’s relatively strong Democratic primary polling.

Plus, the Republican presidential primary field has grown again, with the addition of former Texas Rep. Will Hurd. He joins a crowded anti-Trump lane. So what’s up with all the anti-Trump candidates in a primary full of voters who like former President Donald Trump? And lastly, this weekend marked one year since the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs. We consider how that decision itself may have changed public opinion.