Since announcing for president, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has faced somewhat of a media blackout. His announcement was briefly covered by the NY Times, but then in their much longer article praising Biden on his upcoming announcement, they listed him in one sentence as someone simply making a longshot campaign.
But if you look into the numbers, it’s anything but. A new Suffolk Poll has Kennedy garnering 14% to Joe Biden’s 67%. It’s a massive gap, to say the least, but consider this. During the month Bernie Sanders announced his 2016 bid, he was on average, polling at 10%. Clinton was sitting around 60% consistently. So already, Kennedy is looking better than Sanders did.
And then there’s a massive cadre of pissed off Democrats who find the GOP far too repugnant on social issues, but feel that they’ve had their civil liberties restricted during the Covid era by their own party. Previously, they really didn’t have a home. But a recent Reuters poll noted that 22% of Democrats identify themselves as libertarian, creating a solid base for the insurgent challenger.
Kennedy Jr. has made his name off of vaccine skepticism and pushing back against the punitive lockdowns. In fact, during his announcement, he criticized both Biden and Trump for the lockdowns. Biden for continuing them, and Trump for buckling early on and allowing them to happen at all, despite the fact that after a handful of months he was supportive of rolling back all the Covid restrictions.
He’s leaning on his legendary Kennedy name, which will also score him some votes, especially if New Hampshire plays a significant role in the nominating process. His announcement video opens with a speech from his father:
Please help me share this video announcing my run for President of the United States. #Kennedy24 pic.twitter.com/OLvOXZlRHC
— Robert F. Kennedy Jr (@RobertKennedyJr) April 20, 2023
He says he’s been fighting against corporate forces like his father. And he has. RFK Jr., despite what the mainstream press says, is still a solid Democrat. He’s spent decades working as an environmental lawyer, taking corporations to tasks. And he’s socially liberal on all the issues as well. The only difference is covid. But to be liberal is to live and let live, and understand others and their decisions. Expect even more Democrats to jump on board with RFK Jr. versus a Democrat favoring government control, and expect him to win an early state or two. After that, the sky’s the limit.
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