Presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has announced his independent candidacy for president, officially ending his effort to defeat President Joe Biden in the Democratic primary.
Kennedy, a descendant of one of the most well-known Democratic families in politics, was vying for the Republican votes as he is more popular with Republicans than Democrats. If Kennedy were to run against Trump in the general election, it’s uncertain whether the GOP would back her. Kennedy’s potential role as a spoiler against either Biden or Trump has occasionally been questioned by their respective allies.
“I intend to wrest the reins of power from both parties and give to it the American people,” he said, comparing Republicans and Democrats to teenagers fighting over the steering wheel of an out-of-control car, both following a GPS route programmed by lobbyists.
“This hatred we have for each other is orchestrated,” Kennedy said, switching to a medieval metaphor. “My job … is to unify Americans. Then we’re all going to go over the castle walls together.”
It should be noted that independent and third-party candidates have struggled in the past to garner substantial support in presidential elections. In 1992, Texas businessman Ross Perot mounted one of the most successful independent presidential candidacies in recent history, which ended with him receiving 8% of the vote in the general election that was ultimately won by Bill Clinton.
Kennedy’s campaign as an independent could further complicate a general election race that’s already expected to be closely contested. A Reuters/Ipsos poll of a hypothetical three-way race between Biden, Trump and Kennedy conducted last week among likely voters found 14% of voters supported Kennedy, with 40% supporting Trump and 38% supporting Biden. With over a year until the general election, it’s unclear whether the Kennedy campaign can translate that level of support into votes in November 2024. Kennedy said he hopes to win the election by pulling in both Biden and Trump supporters.
