Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is refusing to rule out a run as an independent, which is only bad news for President Joe Biden.
RFK Jr. is determined to keep to the family tradition of sticking with the Democratic Party. He’s already launched a campaign within the Party and is racking up a respectable amount of support for a candidate running against the incumbent president.
However, at a town hall event in North Charleston, South Carolina earlier this month, Kennedy Jr. – the nephew of late President John F. Kennedy and son of Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy – didn’t rule out an independent run. “They [the Democratic National Committee] are trying to make sure that I can’t participate at all in the political process, and so I’m going to keep all my options open,” he said in response to a voter’s question.
Third-Party Candidates
The Democrats are far more concerned by the prospect of third-party candidates than the Republicans. Of the seven candidates on stage at this week’s GOP debate in California, only former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie vowed not to support Trump, if convicted, as the Republican presidential nominee, showing a unified party behind such a divisive figure.
For the Democrats, it’s less simple. A sizable proportion of Democrats would prefer an alternative candidate to President Biden, with many citing concerns over his age. According to the polls, Kennedy Jr. amasses support from around 14 percent of Democrats – a small but sizable minority.
This is not the first time the party has had concerns over alternatives to the Biden-Trump rematch (although more prominent given the latter’s recent performances in the polls). Green Party hopeful Cornel West may take votes away from Biden in some areas, but his leftist policies are unlikely to deter most independents. Kennedy Jr., however, offers a moderate alternative to the aging Biden and the far-right Trump.
Where Does RFK Jr. Go?
There are three possibilities for RFK Jr. He could run an entirely independent campaign, encouraging the electorate to vote for him on his policies rather than his political affiliation. It’s possible but requires a lot of funding.
Perhaps more likely is a flirtation with the Libertarian Party. He already has the support of the party’s 2012 and 2016 nominee Gary Johnson, who told the New York Times that he’d vote for Kennedy Jr. “in a heartbeat because he’s not Biden and he’s not Trump.”
Alternatively, there’s the No Labels ticket. The new political party has been set up to offer a bipartisan alternative to Trump and Biden. Despite its lack of electoral history, No Labels has already signed up 15,000 members in Arizona. That may seem like a small figure, but enough to flip the state when placed against Biden’s margin of victory in 2020.
Overall, RFK Jr.’s campaign poses far worse news for the incumbent than his main adversary.
Shay Bottomley is a British journalist based in Canada. He has written for the Western Standard, Maidenhead Advertiser, Slough Express, Windsor Express, Berkshire Live and Southend Echo, and has covered notable events including the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.
From the Vault
