ROYAL OAK, Mich.—A parade of comedians took to the stage at a historic theater in suburban Detroit on a recent Sunday night and told edgy jokes and stories about topics that ranged from illegal immigration and transgender-identifying men’s competing in women’s sports to COVID-19 mandates and President Joe Biden’s mental fitness.
Without insight, the scene seemingly describes a typical comedy club performance anywhere across the United States. This event on April 21, though, was a “Night of Laughter” to raise funds for independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Headlined by actor, comedian, and “Saturday Night Live” alumnus Rob Schneider, the evening featured stand-up routines from multiple personalities and was wrapped up with an address from Mr. Kennedy.
It was the second “Night of Laughter” to generate contributions for Mr. Kennedy’s campaign. The first event was in Los Angeles in February, and there are more planned, including in Nashville on May 15.
The event also featured an after-party for an additional donation.
The comedy tour illustrates the nontraditional fundraising methods that Mr. Kennedy is implementing to back his presidential campaign. An adventure seeker and outdoors enthusiast, he has also offered supporters raffles to win experiences such as a sunset sail or whale-watching experience with him and his wife in Hawaii, or an afternoon of falconry.
Currently, backers have an opportunity to win a zip-lining adventure with Mr. Kennedy in the Rocky Mountains. Each $10 donation grants one entry to the raffle. Supporters can enter up to 300 times.
On April 19, 2023, Mr. Kennedy stood before a crowd in Boston and announced his candidacy to challenge President Biden for the 2024 Democrat Party nomination.
Mr. Kennedy cited his intent to unify the country and help restore traditional values to a party that had “lost its way” since his uncle, John F. Kennedy, was president in the early 1960s and his father, Robert F. Kennedy, ran for president in 1968.
At the time, most political pundits and officials from the Democrat and Republican parties dismissed Mr. Kennedy as a fringe candidate. In the early months of his campaign, though, he gained support from conservatives, moderate Republicans, independents, and moderate Democrats.
After encountering multiple hurdles from the Democratic National Committee (DNC) and accusing the organization of “rigging the primary,” including by not allowing any candidate to compete against President Biden, Mr. Kennedy switched to independent on Oct. 9, 2023.
Since then, he has focused on efforts to get on the ballot in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, a feat he told The Epoch Times on April 13 that he expects to accomplish by July.
Mr. Kennedy has lamented that he has financial hurdles that President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump don’t face because he is running as an independent, while those candidates have the backing of the DNC and Republican National Committee and numerous super PACs.
According to Federal Election Commission reports, Mr. Kennedy closed March with access to more than $23.6 million in cash.
Collectively, Mr. Kennedy’s campaign, Team Kennedy, and the pro-Kennedy American Values 2024 super PAC brought in about $6.6 million and spent about $6.7 million in March.
Nicole Shanahan, whom Mr. Kennedy announced as his running mate in late March, stepped up as the campaign’s largest financial supporter last month. She sent $2 million to Team Kennedy a day after she was added to the ticket, according to an April 20 FEC filing.
Figures showed that Team Kennedy and American Values 2024 spent about $2.1 million on ballot access in March.
To date, the Biden administration has rejected five requests from Mr. Kennedy for Secret Service protection. In March, Team Kennedy poured about $414,000 into security with Gavin deBecker and Associates LP and incurred about $1.6 million in debts to the private security firm.
Mr. de Becker is a significant donor to Mr. Kennedy’s campaign.
The funds pale in comparison to those of Mr. Kennedy’s two high-profile competitors.
Biden For President, President Biden’s principal campaign committee, had about $85.5 million in cash on hand, FEC filings showed.
At the end of March, President Trump’s official campaign PACs and allied groups held about $110.3 million.
President Trump’s principal campaign committee, Donald J. Trump For President 2024 Inc., held most of the candidate’s cash. The April 20 FEC filing showed it had about $45.1 million.
Trump 47 hosted a fundraiser that generated more than $50 million in April.
Mr. Kennedy told The Epoch Times that nontraditional fundraisers are necessary to reach voters because he does not have the “financial advantages” of President Trump and President Biden.
‘Human Connection’
Raffling off adventures allows him to share his love for the outdoors, Mr. Kennedy told The Epoch Times.As part of his ballot access quest, Mr. Kennedy appears at voter rallies across the country. After he addresses the crowd, he takes the time to pose for selfies with supporters. Sometimes, the line stretches to 700 people long. Mr. Kennedy shakes hands and talks to voters, who in turn post the photos on social media.
“It’s one of my favorite parts of the campaign. I get to meet people and hear their vignettes,” Mr. Kennedy told The Epoch Times before the April 21 comedy fundraiser.
“The other day, a girl posed for a selfie with me after an event and told me that she risked coming there because she was under house arrest, and she pointed to her ankle bracelet. She told me, ‘I hope you’re gonna legalize marijuana,’ which is related to why she was wearing that.”
Amaryllis Fox Kennedy is Mr. Kennedy’s campaign manager and daughter-in-law. She said she believes that the candidate’s nontraditional fundraisers that allow supporters the opportunity to join him in experiences, and the selfie line after events, illustrate his penchant for connecting with Americans.
“It’s all about human connection. That’s what has been lost in politics. Our leaders don’t connect with people and listen and find out their concerns and dreams,” Ms. Kennedy told The Epoch Times.
Path for a Kennedy
Mr. Kennedy said he believes that there is a path to victory, even with his opponents’ significant financial advantage.Multiple polls indicate that more than half of American voters don’t want to see a rematch between the two presidents, Mr. Kennedy has said.
A Gallup poll released in January indicated that more citizens identify as independents than Democrats or Republicans. Mr. Kennedy said he believes that the current political landscape is ideal for electing an independent president.
A September 2023 Gallup survey showed that 63 percent of U.S. adults agree that “the Republican and Democratic parties do such a poor job of representing the American people that another choice is needed.”
Mr. Kennedy has led Presidents Biden and Trump in favorability ratings in several polls.
In December, a Quinnipiac poll indicated that Mr. Kennedy led both candidates among voters under 35.
February data reported by CNN showed that Mr. Kennedy had 31 percent support among Hispanic voters, behind President Biden’s 34 percent and ahead of President Trump’s 30 percent.
The Independent Vote
Jim Lee, president and CEO of Susquehanna Polling & Research, told The Epoch Times that he believes that Mr. Kennedy will gain traction with independent voters in the general election.“He would be looking for someone that’s not loyal to either political party, someone that is unhappy with the direction of the country, someone that is looking for a third-party solution,” Mr. Lee said.
At multiple campaign stops, Mr. Kennedy has said that he could win the election with “as little as 34 percent of the votes” and that he can reach that number by gaining 4.5 percent of voters planning to cast their ballot for President Biden or President Trump.
Citing polls that indicate that more than half of American voters do not want to see a rematch between the two presidents, Mr. Kennedy said: “Millions of Americans are not going to vote at all if they’re not given another choice. They’re simply withdrawing from democracy. Well, Nicole and I are going to give those millions another choice.”
Mr. Kennedy said he believes that his alternative fundraisers, and the adventures he invites donors to join him in, will continue to broaden his appeal.
A proponent of fitness and nutrition, Mr. Kennedy gained attention last year when a video on social media showed him lifting weights shirtless.
Last year, he also posted a social media video that showed him on the edge of a cliff. He promised to dive into the water if a set fundraising goal was met. Days later, when the number was achieved, he fulfilled the promise and dove off the cliff into the ocean.
Before his April 21 interview with The Epoch Times ended, Mr. Kennedy was jokingly asked whether he would challenge Presidents Biden and Trump to a cliff diving competition.
“I’ll start with challenging them to a debate,” he said with a laugh as he prepared to join the crowd for the second “Night of Laughter.”
