Robert F. Kennedy Jr. launched an independent bid for the presidency on Monday, dropping his Democratic primary challenge to President Biden. In a speech, he called on voters to “reclaim” their country from major parties that he said have war-mongered, abandoned unity and fallen short on issues such as health care, the environment and housing.
Mr. Kennedy took aim at extreme factions who are “getting us to hate each other,” saying corrupt leaders have rigged the system in their favor while older adults, veterans, farmers and others are left behind.
“The most hateful voices of course are always the loudest but there are a lot of quiet Americans who are looking with disgust at the vitriol, the name-calling and the venom,” he told a cheering crowd in Philadelphia. “They want it to end. They want us to get along.
“Something is stirring in us, that says, ’It doesn’t have to be this way,’” he said. “And that’s why I’m here today. I’m here to declare myself an independent candidate for president of the United States.”
Cornel West, a liberal icon, is running as an independent after ditching a Green Party run. Mr. Kennedy and Mr. West must meet various filing requirements and deadlines to qualify for state ballots.
The pair could be factors in who wins the 2024 race, which is shaping into a rematch between Mr. Biden and former President Donald Trump. Polls show that hypothetical race is virtually tied.
Mr. Kennedy, the son of the late Robert F. Kennedy, made little traction in his long-shot bid for the Democratic nomination, though he tended to siphon off about 15% of the primary support from Mr. Biden. Pundits say he could be a major spoiler in the race, though it’s unclear which side would suffer more.
“My intention is to spoil it for both of them,” Mr. Kennedy said.
Voters who cannot stomach Mr. Trump, yet do not think Mr. Biden has done a good job, could opt for Mr. Kennedy. Mr. Kennedy’s platform of raising the minimum wage and expanding health care for children could also appeal to liberal voters.
Mr. Kennedy could just as easily draw votes away from Mr. Trump. He is best known for his vaccine skepticism, an issue that gained traction on the political right during COVID-19, and his calls for securing the southern border and ending U.S. involvement in Ukraine.
On Monday, Mr. Kennedy called for a new Declaration of Independence from military contractors, Big Pharma, Big Ag and other corporations and “independence from the mercenary media that is here to fortify all of the corporation orthodoxies from their advertisers.”
“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.
He said that declaration includes himself, pledging to commence a painful divorce from the Democratic Party tied to his family dynasty.
Mr. Kennedy took aim at his opponents, pointing to polls that say Mr. Biden is too old to govern effectively and the fact that Mr. Trump is battling civil and criminal trials in multiple jurisdictions.
“Both of them have favorability ratings that are deep in negative territory,” he said. “That’s what two-party politics has given us.”
The research arm of the Republican National Committee tried to link Mr. Kennedy to the liberal side on Monday, pointing to his fundraising efforts for Democrats and his decision to vote for Mr. Biden in 2020.
Some of Mr. Kennedy’s own siblings pushed him away, releasing a statement that called his third-party run against Mr. Biden “dangerous to our country.”
“Bobby might share the same name as our father, but he does not share the same values, vision or judgment. Today’s announcement is deeply saddening for us. We denounce his candidacy and believe it to be perilous for our country,” Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, former Rep. Joseph P. Kennedy II, Rory Kennedy and Kerry Kennedy said in a joint statement.
Mr. Kennedy was introduced Monday by an elder from the Lakota people; his wife, actress Cheryl Hines; and Dennis Kucinich, a former Democratic congressman and two-time presidential candidate who is managing Mr. Kennedy’s campaign.
The supportive crowd shouted “RFK, all the way!” before Mr. Kennedy took the stage. He got off to a rocky start, telling staff on a hot mic that he needed a copy of his speech and that something was “upside down.”
Mr. Kennedy said he would be independent of Wall Street players who would look for handouts during the next financial crisis, and untethered from military contractors who are inclined to push war ahead of peace and diplomacy.
He said he can engage young voters, in particular, and that his brand of politics will appeal to everyone.
“I’m proud to say that my supporters include both pro-lifers and pro-choicers, they include climate activists and climate skeptics, they include vaccinated and unvaccinated, they include people who for years have been on both sides of the culture war,” he said. “Why? Because more and more Americans are beginning to understand that for the good of our country, one cannot insist on getting one’s way on every issue. They understand that people can disagree and still respect each other.”
Mr. Kennedy acknowledged that independents have tried and failed to win in the past. Candidates such as independent Ross Perot in 1992, Green Party candidate Ralph Nader in 2000 and Green Party candidate Jill Stein in 2016 gained plenty of notice, though mainly for pulling votes away from major candidates.
“This time it’s going to be different,” Mr. Kennedy said. “Because this time, the independent is gonna win.”
• Seth McLaughlin contributed to this story.
• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.
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