Presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., in his first campaign advertisement after dumping the Democratic Party to run as an independent, shared that he is “fed up.”
Mr. Kennedy, who was previously running under the Democratic ticket, announced Monday that he would be making the switch to independent.
He posted his campaign ad on X on Wednesday, with the caption, “My first campaign ad! What do you guys think — run it during the Super Bowl? #Kennedy24.”
The video featured clips of President Biden, former President Donald Trump, talk show hosts like MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough and Rachel Maddow, and others America’s political class.
“Yeah, I was fed up too,” Mr. Kennedy says at the end of the video. “And that’s why I’m running for president of the United States as an independent.”
Depending on how many state ballots he is able to get on, Mr. Kennedy threatens to act as a spoiler in the race, though it’s unclear from whom he would siphon off more votes.
Mr. Kennedy announced his divorce from the Democratic Party on Monday at an event in Philadelphia.
“And finally, we declare independence from the two political parties and the corrupt interests that dominate them and the entire rigged system of rancor, of rage, of corruption, of lies that has turned government officials into indentured servants for their corporate bosses,” Mr. Kennedy said at the event.
He took shots at his opponents saying that Mr. Biden is too old to serve another term and Mr. Trump is engrossed in his civil and criminal trials.
On X on Tuesday, he wrote a lengthy statement about what he can do for America now that he is independent.
He said that he can pursue “peace and diplomacy” in foreign policy, close the “loopholes and giveaways that bloat our budget,” “rescue” those in debt rather than the banks, clean the air, soil and water, “unravel the capture of our federal agencies,” and create “bold policies” that go beyond “partisan conversation.”
Hours after he made the switch to independent, American Values, a super PAC affiliated with Mr. Kennedy, announced that they raised $11 million.
A third-party candidate has never won a presidential election before. The last third-party candidate to win Electoral College votes was American independent George Wallace in 1968 who won five states and 46 Electoral College votes.
• Mallory Wilson can be reached at mwilson@washingtontimes.com.
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