On Monday, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced that he will be ending his 2024 Democrat presidential campaign and will now be running as an independent.
Kennedy made the announcement during a speech in front of supporters in Philadelphia.
“I’m here to declare myself an independent candidate,” he told the crowd.
Kennedy went on to argue that the political divisions the U.S. is currently facing are “deliberately orchestrated” — and claimed that his campaign is a solution for Americans who are “fed up with being fooled and [are] ready to take back power.”
His decision to run as an independent comes after he failed to force the Democrat Party to hold primary debates between himself and President Joe Biden.
According to a CNN analysis, America hasn’t seen a third-party candidate with as much support from the American people as Kennedy since Ross Perot’s 1996 campaign. However, the left-wing outlet tried to claim that Kennedy’s campaign would harm Republicans more than Democrats — arguing that he would pull votes from the GOP because he had more favorability among the right in polls.
Despite CNN’s insistence, most of Kennedy’s views and policy positions are not popular among Republicans — which means that he is more likely to garner support from Democrats who don’t approve of Biden. While Republicans have expressed their approval for Kennedy in polls, it appears that many were just glad to see an anti-establishment Democrat challenge Biden — but they are unlikely to choose Kennedy over former President Donald Trump in a general election.
Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel made this argument in a statement about Kennedy’s new campaign.
“Make no mistake – a Democrat in Independent’s clothing is still a Democrat,” the statement read. “RFK Jr. cannot hide from his record of endorsing Hillary, supporting the Green New Deal, fighting against the Keystone Pipeline, and praising AOC’s tax hikes – he is your typical elitist liberal and voters won’t be fooled.”
“American families deserve commonsense leadership that will return America’s energy independence, stop Bidenflation, secure our border, and get our country back on track, which is why our Republican nominee will be the next President of the United States,” she added.
RFK Jr. cannot hide from his record of endorsing Hillary, supporting the Green New Deal, fighting against the Keystone Pipeline, and praising AOC’s tax hikes – he is your typical liberal and voters won’t be fooled. pic.twitter.com/eRLOwQ22bG
— Ronna McDaniel (@GOPChairwoman) October 9, 2023
Political commentator and podcast host Tim Pool made a similar argument in his coverage of the issue, arguing that Kennedy’s campaign would “spike” Democrats’ chances in 2024.
