Presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. plans to announce he will run as an independent next month, according to Mediaite.
With the Democratic National Committee rigging the primary against him, it makes sense for RFK Jr. to forego running as a Democrat.
Mediaite reports RFK Jr. intends to go public with his independent presidential run on October 9th in Pennsylvania.
“Bobby feels that the DNC is changing the rules to exclude his candidacy so an independent run is the only way to go,” an RFK Jr. campaign insider told the outlet.
Mediaite reviewed a text message saying RFK Jr.’s campaign intends to run “attack ads” against the DNC before he announces his run as an independent in Philadelphia.
BREAKING REPORT: Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Planning to Announce Independent Run..
“Bobby feels that the DNC is changing the rules to exclude his candidacy so an independent run is the only way to go.” – Campaign Insider
Text message reveals Kennedy’s campaign machine is now… pic.twitter.com/ObRP0EGLHr
— Chuck Callesto (@ChuckCallesto) September 29, 2023
BREAKING: Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a Democratic presidential candidate, is expected to announce his candidacy as an independent on October 9th. pic.twitter.com/EfFspHYeUc
— Simon Ateba (@simonateba) September 29, 2023
“If this happens, this would hurt Biden infinitely more than Trump. And given the margin of error in recent presidential elections, it could be a decisive blow to the incumbent,” Joe Concha, columnist for The Messenger, stated.
If this happens, this would hurt Biden infinitely more than Trump. And given the margin of error in recent presidential elections, it could be a decisive blow to the incumbent: https://t.co/EyN0r2cSRr
— Joe Concha (@JoeConchaTV) September 29, 2023
Mediaite reports:
Kennedy, a notorious anti-vaccine conspiracy theorist challenging incumbent President Joe Biden for the Democratic nomination, has been flirting with a third party run in recent weeks. The New York Times reported last week that he met with the chair of the Libertarian Party, raising the prospect of a departure from the party that decades ago became synonymous with his family name.
Kennedy remains far behind Biden in the polls. Yet while the Times reported “Democrats worry that a third-party run by Mr. Kennedy could draw votes away from Mr. Biden and help elect former President Donald J. Trump,” it’s unclear whether such a run would hurt the current president more than the Republican nominee.
Indeed, polls show Republicans have a far more favorable view of Kennedy than Democrats. As the National Review’s Jim Geraghty pointed out in July, when a survey asked New Hampshire Democrats to describe Kennedy in one word, the top responses were “crazy,” “dangerous,” “insane,” “conspiracy,” and “unknown.”
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has said for months Democrats are rigging the primary, and the DNC left him no choice but to seek an alternative.