The loss of pleasure many Americans really feel a couple of presidential rematch has heightened pastime in possible choices to the major-party applicants, none extra so than Robert F. Kennedy Jr., whose well-known identify has helped him construct buzz for his unbiased bid.
Kennedy is a big longshot to win Electoral College votes, a lot much less the presidency. But his marketing campaign occasions have drawn huge crowds of supporters and folks all for his message.
RFK JR ‘CONSIDERING’ AARON RODGERS AS RUNNING MATE, REP SAYS
He plans to announce his vice presidential nominee later this month in Oakland, California, and is stoking expectancies that he may select New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers or former Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura. His marketing campaign supervisor stated Saturday that Kennedy has made his selection however didn’t say whom he’s picked. She stated he had additionally interviewed Nicole Shanahan, a California philanthropist who bankrolled a Super Bowl advert for Kennedy, and Mike Rowe, famous person of the tv display “Dirty Jobs.”
Presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. speaks all over a marketing campaign tournament, Oct. 9, 2023, in Philadelphia. The loss of pleasure many Americans really feel a couple of presidential rematch has heightened pastime in possible choices to the major-party applicants like Robert F. Kennedy Jr., whose well-known identify has helped him construct buzz for his unbiased bid. He plans to announce his vice presidential nominee later this month in Oakland, Calif, and is stoking rumors that he may select New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
Here is a take a look at his marketing campaign and what he is stood for:
Who is RFK Jr?
Kennedy, 70, is a member of in all probability the country’s most renowned political dynasty. His uncle used to be President John F. Kennedy. His father served as legal professional common and a U.S. senator prior to looking for the Democratic nomination for president. Both have been assassinated.
RFK Jr. constructed a name of his personal as an activist, creator and legal professional who fought for environmental reasons reminiscent of blank water.
Along the way in which, his activism has veered into conspiracies and contradicted medical consensus, maximum infamously on vaccines. Some contributors of his circle of relatives have publicly criticized his perspectives. Dozens of his members of the family posed with President Joe Biden at a St. Patrick’s Day reception on the White House in a photograph his sister Kerry Kennedy posted to social media.
Kennedy based Waterkeeper Alliance, which fits to safe blank water, and constructed a small anti-vaccine group into Children’s Health Defense, a juggernaut within the motion that noticed its achieve develop unexpectedly all over the pandemic.
Children’s Health Defense has a lawsuit pending in opposition to quite a few information organizations, amongst them The Associated Press, accusing them of violating antitrust regulations by way of taking motion to spot incorrect information, together with about COVID-19 and COVID-19 vaccines. Kennedy took depart from the gang when he introduced his run for president however is indexed as one among its lawyers within the lawsuit.
He’s married to actress Cheryl Hines.
What does Kennedy’s marketing campaign seem like?
Kennedy’s want to accumulate hundreds of signatures to get at the poll has taken him to puts that infrequently see presidential applicants, together with Hawaii, Wyoming and West Virginia.
At occasions in Phoenix and Las Vegas, masses of supporters queued up outdoor hours prior to he used to be scheduled to reach. He draws a legion of fanatics, a lot of whom have listened widely to Kennedy’s interviews on podcasts or YouTube movies.
In Nevada, huge graphics and pictures have been projected on 3 partitions as upbeat tune performed. Drinks and products have been on the market.
Kennedy speaks in a quiet, strained voice, occasionally haltingly, the results of a neurological situation known as spasmodic dysphonia.
What does he speak about?
Kennedy frames himself as a truthteller with a observe file of preventing for the center magnificence in opposition to tough pursuits. He issues to court cases he is received in opposition to company behemoths reminiscent of Monsanto and DuPont.
“I can fix this country,” he stated in Las Vegas in February. “All these agencies that intimidate normal politicians, I’ve sued every one of them. … When you sue these agencies, you get a Ph.D. in corporate capture and how to unravel it.” Corporate seize refers to non-public pursuits the usage of their affect to keep watch over govt decision-making, as once they lend a hand draft law.
Kennedy has been essential of U.S. give a boost to for Ukraine and supportive of Israel’s struggle in opposition to Hamas. He needs to cut back army and well being care spending as a result of the have an effect on on price range deficits, and fight emerging housing prices so younger folks can have enough money to shop for houses.
Kennedy has discovered a faithful following amongst folks distrustful of establishments and people who imagine the federal government has been captured by way of firms, particularly pharmaceutical firms.
He hasn’t shied clear of his debatable perspectives on well being care and vaccines. He needs to dismantle the general public well being forms, announcing he’d right away inform the National Institutes of Health to refocus analysis clear of infectious sicknesses and vaccines and towards persistent sicknesses.
Kennedy insists he isn’t anti-vaccine and claims he hasn’t ever instructed the general public to keep away from vaccination. But he has time and again made his opposition to vaccines transparent. He stated on a podcast “there’s no vaccine that is safe and effective” and has advised folks to withstand CDC pointers on when children will have to get vaccinated.
While there are uncommon circumstances when folks have critical reactions to vaccines, the billions of doses administered globally supply real-world proof that they’re secure. The World Health Organization says vaccines save you as many as 5 million deaths every 12 months.
Can he win?
The United States has a protracted historical past of rejecting unbiased or third-party presidential applicants. In truth, the closing president to win with out a celebration’s backing used to be George Washington, and he did it prior to there have been political events.
The closing third-party candidate to make it to the White House used to be Abraham Lincoln with the newly shaped Republican Party.
The closing third-party candidate to drag greater than unmarried digits in the preferred vote used to be Ross Perot, a businessman who received 19% in 1992 and eight% in 1996. But he received 0 electoral votes.
And whilst the unbiased percentage of the voters is rising, it’s nonetheless dwarfed by way of citizens who constantly give a boost to Republican or Democratic applicants, despite the fact that they determine as unbiased.
In different phrases, the percentages are lengthy.
Kennedy’s case for optimism hinges on his reasonably robust appearing in a couple of nationwide polls. Polls all over the 2016 presidential marketing campaign steadily put libertarian Gary Johnson’s give a boost to within the top unmarried or low double digits, however he in the end won simplest about 3% of the vote national.
Horse-race polls also are notoriously unreliable this a ways out from an election, and plenty of Americans don’t know who Kennedy is. A February AP-NORC ballot discovered, for example, that 29% of Americans don’t know sufficient about Kennedy to have a view about him.
Some of the individuals who say they’d give a boost to him will also be reacting to his well-known closing identify somewhat than his exact pitch as a candidate. A CNN/SSRS ballot performed closing spring discovered that 20% of people that stated they’d believe supporting Kennedy for the Democratic nomination — for which he used to be operating on the time — stated that their give a boost to used to be associated with his closing identify and Kennedy circle of relatives connections. Only 12% stated it used to be as a result of give a boost to for his perspectives and insurance policies.
But for any of that to topic, he has to get at the poll.
How does he get at the poll?
Forget getting elected; simply operating for president is an onerous procedure, particularly for applicants like Kennedy who don’t belong to a celebration.
Every state has other laws, requiring a military of attorneys to verify the entirety is finished proper. Most states require hundreds of signatures.
A professional-Kennedy tremendous PAC helps pay for Kennedy’s poll get admission to paintings in numerous states. His allies have created a political celebration to ease the method in some states by way of getting identified as a celebration and making Kennedy its nominee.
He has been authorized for the poll in Utah. His marketing campaign and tremendous PAC say he’s accumulated sufficient signatures to qualify in numerous different states, together with the battlegrounds of Arizona, Georgia and Nevada, regardless that election officers in the ones states have now not but affirmed his candidacy.
Kennedy has additionally stated he’s talked with officers from the Libertarian Party, regardless that it’s now not transparent what a tie-up between the 2 may seem like.
Who is operating for him?
Kennedy is having a look to his circle of relatives and his allies within the anti-vaccine global to team of workers his marketing campaign, construction a management workforce this is gentle on enjoy operating in politics.
His marketing campaign supervisor is Amaryllis Fox Kennedy, his daughter-in-law who served as a CIA officer and has now not labored in politics prior to.
His communications director, Del Bigtree, is founding father of the Informed Consent Action Network, an anti-vaccine crew. He additionally produced “Vaxxed,” an anti-vaccine movie that promoted the discredited concept that the vaccines motive autism.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Press secretary Stefanie Spear used to be an editor for the Children’s Health Defense information web site. Charles Eisenstein, a New Age creator, is an adviser.
Kennedy additionally has team of workers and volunteers unfold right through states and desirous about amassing signatures to get him at the poll.
