What does Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s Announcement Mean?
Elections & Politics | By: Arvind Salem| August 30, 2024
Featured Photo: www.latimes.com
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With just over two months from Election Day, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the son of Senator Robert Kennedy and nephew of President John F. Kennedy, withdrew his independent candidacy for president. Kennedy, one of the most successful recent independent candidates, had hit double-digit vote shares amid record dissatisfaction with a Biden and Trump matchup. However, that dissatisfaction was largely alleviated by the replacement of Biden. Democrats sympathetic to Kennedy have largely left for the Harris camp: as Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s poll number dipped to under 5% after Harris became the nominee.
In his speech, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. endorsed Trump, citing “ free speech, the war in Ukraine and “a war on our children”” as reasons for leaving the Democratic party and endorsing Trump. However, RFK Jr. did not completely end his candidacy: he urged his supporters to vote for Trump in battleground states (and said he would try to remove his name from those ballots), while showing their support for him in states where they won’t sway the outcome. RFK’s endorsement, and essential withdrawal, helps Trump since most polls found that Trump gets a bigger boost in support compared to Harris when Kennedy is excluded. This is deeply ironic, given that Kennedy comes from the most storied lineage in Democratic politics and initially appeared positioned to be a spoiler for the eventual Democratic nominee. However, his campaign took a deeply rightward term and there is speculation that Kennedy would use this withdrawal to gain a position in Trump’s cabinet as Secretary of Health and Human Services: a troubling pick given his staunch anti-vaccine record and complete lack of any medical experience.
Policy Analysis:
Kennedy’s endorsement of Trump was met with much criticism from his own family. Max Kennedy, Bobby’s brother, wrote an op-ed in the Los Angeles Times, criticizing his brother and pointing out the incongruence of their father’s values with those of Trump. He describes how the positions of Trump on issues such as immigration, civil rights, and the rule of law are utterly incompatible with those of his father. Five of Kennedy’s family members issued a statement denouncing Kennedy’s support for Trump and reiterating their support for Harris.
Additionally, Kennedy’s “withdrawal” timing is complicated due to the various state deadlines to withdraw from the ballot. His greatest act of helping Trump would undoubtedly be removing his name from many swing states but it is unclear if he is able to do that for certain states. For key states like Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Nevada, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Texas, Kennedy was able to ensure his name would not appear on the ballot. However, for Michigan, North Carolina, and Wisconsin, Kennedy was unable to remove his name from the ballot. The continued presence of RFK Jr. on the ballot in these states, especially Michigan, mean that he will likely still have influence on the outcome of the election, even if he has stated his intention to no longer be considered for the presidency.
Engagement Resources:
- Harris for President: Readers who do not want Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to have any influence in the government may wish to donate to this campaign to prevent his endorsed candidate from winning.
- Voices for Vaccines: Readers who wish to elevate organizations to counter Kennedy’s anti-vaccination stances may wish to support this organization.
- Green Party: People who want to support another independent candidate after this withdrawal may wish to explore the Green Party to find candidates that align with their values.
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