After months of speculation that Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. could undermine the president Joe Bidenup for re-election, it seems he might not want to spoil the president after all.
In exclusive comments to Newsweek On Monday, the Democratic presidential hopeful and heir to the Kennedy political dynasty said his primary challenge to Biden will not become a third-party bid for the presidency. Kennedy continues baselessly accuse his party of conspiring to protect Biden from primary rivals as the president faces a tough re-election fight in 2024.
Asked if he would consider an independent run for the presidency, Kennedy’s answer was a resounding, “No.”
“I’m running as a Democrat,” he said. “I will not operate independently.”
M. Santiago/Getty; Kevin Dietsch/Getty
Kennedy staying out of the general election is good news for Biden, experts say.
“It’s another reason not to be complacent about all these efforts by Republican and Republican-backed and Republican-adjacent groups to undermine Biden in any way they can,” said Bill Kristol, a longtime Republican consultant and leader of “Never Trump “. movement, said during a Zoom shout out to Third Way supporters this week. “And they think, maybe correctly, that Robert Kennedy Jr., he’s well-funded, if he gets a lot of money and can get 25 percent of the vote in New Hampshire or something, that’s going to hurt Biden a little bit overall.”
Newsweek The Biden campaign was contacted by email for comment.
Kennedy, though a longshot for the nomination, still enjoys considerable popularity among Democratic primary voters despite his a deeply documented embrace of conspiracy theories which analysts see as incompatible with the party’s voters.
Kennedy has a net favorability rating 35 percentage points more than Biden’s among more than 2,000 registered voters surveyed in a Harvard/Harris poll in July. And while Biden remains well-liked within his party, several polls have shown Kennedy garnering double-digit support among likely Democratic primary voters, showing at least some appetite within the party for another option.
Kennedy has also found an enthusiastic audience between conservative opinion and the activist class. His campaign has won support from GOP-aligned political action committees and news networks in the form of financial support and plaudits on nightly news shows. Some personalities from right-wing networks like Fox News have spoken favorably of Kennedy’s platform, even explicitly expressing their desire to mount an independent challenge for the presidency to eat up Biden’s vote share.
“I think he should run as a third-party candidate because I think he would win,” Fox News host Greg Gutfeld said on a July 26 episode of “The Five.”
In the first News from New York/Siena College poll of the 2024 election cycle released this week, Biden and former president donald trump— the clear Republican favorite at this point in the race — are deadlocked for the presidency, with 43 percent of each polling.
Kennedy’s pledge not to run as an independent is a necessary boon for Biden, who is expected to face caustic challenges from multiple fronts in 2024 from both the right and the center. Biden’s low approval ratings have also made him susceptible to attacks from his own party. A News from New YorkThe /Siena College poll found that 10 percent of voters either don’t know who to vote for or are willing to support another candidate.
After saying that RFK Jr. looks a lot like Trump, Greg Gutfeld adds: “I think he should run as a third-party candidate because I think he would win.” pic.twitter.com/7Lyyl5ytK6
— Justin Baragona (@justinbaragona) July 26, 2023
And while a separate Quinnipiac College poll released July 19 shows Biden as the clear favorite in a pure head-to-head showdown with Trump, nearly half of respondents said they would be willing to consider supporting a candidate from third parties, which indicates a widespread situation. discontent among the current electorate.
While polling by Monmouth University in July showed Biden could win regardless of a third-party challenge, internal polling by No Labels, an organization that is mounting its own fight against Biden, found that an appeal third parties in the center would be possible. draws more Democratic-leaning voters than Republicans, helping pave the way for a Republican victory next November.
“Without President Biden or former President Trump knocking it out of the park please, nearly half the country would consider another option,” Quinnipiac University polling analyst Tim Malloy said in a statement from press that announced the conclusions. “There is no specific name for the candidate, no specific designation for the party, but it is a vivid indication that for many voters, the status quo is a no-go.”
And those voters could have many choices.
Still early, Green Party candidate Cornel West has already proved a galvanizing influence on the Democratic Party‘s left flank, with the promise of a progressive challenge to Biden. He has the potential to strip Biden of a united base of support against Trump and is proving to be a divisive figure among Democrats worried about his ability to maintain control of the Oval Office.
“I think right now, given the Electoral College, it’s very difficult to square the real threat of a Republican presidency…[with] the risk of giving up the very small margin of electoral votes needed to ensure that President Biden wins,” said the progressive New York representative. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez he said in remarks this week downplaying the prospects of a Western bid.
Those seeking to thwart the prospects of a Republican victory in 2024 agree.
“[West] will get a minuscule number of votes, just like [former Green Party candidates] Jill Stein and Ralph Nader did,” said Jim Kessler, executive vice president of policy at the center-left think tank Third Way. Newsweek. “[…]They’re going to get a small number of votes, but mostly they’re going to be Biden votes, and in a close election, that could make the difference.”
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