RFK Jr. announces independent presidential run, decries ‘tribal thinking’
He’s ditched the Dems.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. officially announced Monday that he would run for president in 2024 as an independent, urging Americans to embrace “freedom from the reflex of having to take sides.”
The 69-year-old announced in Philadelphia that he would bow out of the Democratic primary, where polls showed him badly trailing President Biden despite going as high as 20% in some surveys.
Launching an independent candidacy, the environmental lawyer and anti-vaccination advocate said, would allow him to pursue an agenda that “puts peace and diplomacy first,” would “close the loopholes that bloat our budget” and “rescue debtors instead of the banks.”
“I’m going to ask people, what do you care about?” vowed the son of the late attorney general and senator from New York. “What do your children need? What is it like to be you? What do you love?”
Four of RFK Jr.’s siblings issued a statement blasting his ongoing candidacy, calling it “dangerous to our country.”
“Bobby might share the same name as our father, but he does not share the same values, vision or judgment,” sister Kerry Kennedy said on X, formerly known as Twitter. “Today’s announcement is deeply saddening for us. We denounce his candidacy and believe it to be perilous for our country.”
Political strategists from both parties told The Post over the weekend that Kennedy’s name recognition and his unorthodox positions may throw a wrench in next year’s presidential election by allowing him to steal votes from both major party candidates.
With that in mind, the Republican National Committee also released a statement attacking Kennedy following his announcement.
“Make no mistake – a Democrat in Independent’s clothing is still a Democrat,” RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel said in a statement.
“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,” she added. “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.”
Kennedy’s move means the only major challenger to President Biden for the Democratic nomination is self-help author Marianne Williamson.
Monday’s announcement came days after left-wing professor Cornel West declared an independent run, opting not to pursue the Green Party’s nomination.