Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s sister is concerned that his independent presidential bid could undermine President Joe Biden’s reelection prospects and potentially bolster former President Donald Trump’s chances of winning instead.
Mr. Kennedy’s siblings had previously denounced his decision to run for president as an independent candidate, calling it “perilous” and “dangerous to our country.”
During an interview with CNN on March 25, Rory Kennedy explained that they viewed Mr. Kennedy’s independent bid as dangerous because they believed his campaign was “siphoning” votes from President Biden.
“I feel strongly that this is the most important election of our lifetime. And there’s so much at stake, and I do think it’s going to come down to a handful of votes and a handful of states,” she told the news outlet.
“And I do worry that Bobby just taking some percentage of votes from Biden could shift the election and lead to Trump’s election,” said Ms. Kennedy, the youngest daughter of late Sen. Robert F. Kennedy.
Mr. Kennedy trails in a three-way race with President Biden and President Trump, according to a December Reuters/Ipsos poll. The same poll showed him drawing more support from President Biden’s potential voters than President Trump’s.
Mr. Kennedy has picked Silicon Valley lawyer Nicole Shanahan, who was formerly married to Google co-founder Sergey Brin, as his running mate. Ms. Shanahan, 38, helped fund and create Mr. Kennedy’s $7 million Super Bowl campaign ad.
The announcement represents the latest chapter in Mr. Kennedy’s campaign journey that started in Boston in April 2023 with his intent to challenge President Biden for the Democratic Party nomination.
The candidate said he was inspired by the only president who was an independent, George Washington. He told supporters that he was declaring his independence from the Democratic Party and that it was a painful decision he didn’t take lightly because of his family’s longstanding ties to the party.
“There have been independent candidates in the past. This time, it will be different. This time, the independent will win,” Mr. Kennedy said at the time.
“The decision of our brother Bobby to run as a third party candidate against Joe Biden is dangerous to our country. Bobby might share the same name as our father, but he does not share the same values, vision or judgment,” the statement reads.
A poll commissioned by the American Values 2024 political action committee working to get Mr. Kennedy elected president, conducted by Zogby Strategies and released Oct. 2, 2023, showed that if Mr. Kennedy ran as an independent or third-party candidate, he would start at 19 percent compared to 38 percent for President Biden and President Trump.
“Critics of independents and third-party candidates always claim that they split the vote and serve as a spoiler, but what we are seeing is that people are disillusioned with both major parties, and they are tired of partisan politics,” Mr. Lyons said.
