POLITICS
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Relaunches Presidential Bid As An Independent
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Presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Monday officially announced he is withdrawing his Democratic primary bid against incumbent President Joe Biden, and will instead run as an independent.
Speaking to supporters in Philadelphia, Penn., Kennedy said “Im here to declare myself an independent candidate for president of the United States.”
Third-party and independent bids for the White House typically don’t enjoy much success. One of the most successful attempts came from Texas businessman Ross Perot in 1992, when he amassed 8% of votes in the general election won by Bill Clinton.
Former President Donald Trump is currently the frontrunner for the Republican nomination, and polling currently has him roughly tied or slightly ahead of Biden in a general election contest.
A Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted among likely voters las week found that in a hypothetical three-way contest between Trump, Biden and Kennedy, the independent pulled 14% support. That left 40% supporting Trump and 38% supporting Biden.
Kennedy, 69, launched his campaign as a Democrat in April, but drew ire from much of the part for his vocal opposition to vaccines.
I’m coming here today to declare our independence from the journey of corruption, which robs us of affordable lives, our belief in the future and our respect for each other, Kennedy said Monday. But to do that, I must first declare my own independence, independence from the Democratic Party.
The Republican National Committee in a statement called Kennedy, the nephew of former President John F. Kennedy and son of former US Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, “just another radical, far-left Democrat.”
Make no mistake — a Democrat in Independents clothing is still a Democrat. RFK Jr. cannot hide from his record of endorsing Hillary, supporting the Green New Deal, fighting against the Keystone Pipeline, and praising AOCs tax hikes — he is your typical elitist liberal and voters wont be fooled, RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel said.
Four of Kennedy’s siblings on Monday issued a joint statement calling his independent run against Biden dangerous to our country.”
“Bobby might share the same name as our father, but he does not share the same values, vision or judgment. Todays announcement is deeply saddening for us. We denounce his candidacy and believe it to be perilous for our country,” read the statement signed by Rory Kennedy, Kerry Kennedy, Joseph P. Kennedy II and Kathleen Kennedy Townsend.
TMX contributed to this article.
