Majority of voters want RFK Jr and other third party candidates in presidential debates: Poll

More than seven in ten voters would like to see third-party candidates participate in presidential debates, according to a poll released on Monday.

The poll shows most supporters (79%) want to see President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump debate each other ahead of the November general election. But 71% also want to see Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and other third party candidates like Green Party's Jill Stein and Independent Cornel West take the debate stage if they clear certain thresholds.

Kennedy previously slammed the two frontrunners for not including third-party candidates in the debates, especially in an election where voters are not thrilled with Trump and Biden.

The poll, conducted by Harvard CAPS/Harris, also found that 69% of voters said they have already made up their minds on who they are voting for in November, though 31% of respondents remain undecided. 

The survey comes after Biden and Trump agreed to at least two debates that will be hosted by news outlets rather than the September and October debates scheduled by the Commission on Presidential Debates. The first debate will take place in June, and will be hosted by CNN.

The Biden administration has also agreed to take part in a vice presidential debate hosted by CBS News, but Trump has yet to commit. But 73% of respondents said Biden and Trump should stick to the three presidential debates and one vice presidential debate format that's put on by the commission.

Just over half of the respondents (54%) also shared that they think microphones should be muted if a speaker goes over their allotted response time. 

The survey was conducted between May 15 and 16, and polled 1,660 registered voters. It had a margin of error was plus or minus two percentage points.