Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. continues to face declining cash reserves, according to new federal filings.
On July 20, two committees associated with the Kennedy campaign filed monthly disclosure statements with the Federal Election Commission covering their June activities. Those documents showed the campaign and its allied super political action committee collectively held about $21.6 million entering July. However, the groups also hold about $3.9 million in debt.
Mr. Kennedy’s principal campaign committee, Team Kennedy, brought in about $5.4 million but spent $6.3 million in June. The committee ended the month with about $5.6 million in cash. Moreover, the committee told the FEC it owes about $3.1 million in debts and obligations.
American Values, a hybrid PAC boosting Mr. Kennedy, raised about $228,000 in June. During the same month, it disbursed about $3.5 million. However, it entered July with about $16 million in cash on hand, balanced by about $800,000 in debts.
The PAC collected only five contributions in June. The largest, $100,000, came from Abby Rockefeller, a member of the wealthy Rockefeller family.
According to its disclosure, Team Kennedy ended June owing about $3.1 million to the private security firm Gavin de Becker and Associates LP.
The private security firm is run by Gavin de Becker, a key supporter of American Values 2024, the hybrid PAC supporting Mr. Kennedy’s run. According to federal records, Mr. de Becker has donated close to $14 million to American Values since April 2023.
According to FEC records, American Values sent Mr. de Becker a $2 million refund on June 28 in its largest transaction of the month.
Going forward, the Kennedy campaign should see a drop in its security spending. On July 15, Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas said Mr. Kennedy would receive U.S. Secret Service protection as a major presidential candidate.
Mr. Kennedy, who’s said he’s already had attempts on his person since announcing his independent run, had long complained about a lack of Secret Service protection. His uncle, President John F. Kennedy, was assassinated in 1963, and his father, former U.S. Attorney General and New York Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, was assassinated in 1968 as he was making a bid for the Democratic presidential nomination.
Campaign security, in general, became a much larger issue on July 13 after 20-year-old Thomas Crooks attempted to assassinate former President Donald Trump at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. The gunman took multiple shots at the leading Republican presidential candidate, wounding him and two rallygoers. Former fire chief Corey Comperatore was killed while protecting his wife and daughter.
American Values owed most of its debts to the social media giant X Corp. It listed about $763,000 in debt to the company that operates the platform formerly known as Twitter.
Mr. Kennedy did not receive an invitation to the June 27 debate between President Joe Biden and former President Trump. Instead, he hosted his own livestream event on X with former television news anchor and reporter John Stossel.
Combined, American Values and Team Kennedy spent about $124,000 on advertising and other services on X in June. American Values also made about $763,000 in independent expenditures supporting Mr. Kennedy on the social media site.
Team Kennedy spent about $300,000 on internet advertising with Meta Platforms Inc.’s social media site, Facebook, and about $55,000 on internet advertising with Google.
Mr. Kennedy is presently on the ballot in 26 states, according to his campaign. The candidate submitted signatures to appear on the ballot in every state but Louisiana, which requires a fee but no signatures.
