Given his controversial views on vaccinations and foreign policy, Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s decision to run as an independent is a negative turn of events. Although he claims to challenge the two-party system, he’s only giving voters a different radical choice.
Kennedy, a well-known environmental lawyer and vocal anti-vaccine activist, announced Oct. 9, that he will run for president of the U.S. as an independent candidate in 2024, according to CNN.
It makes sense for Kennedy to run independently. He would not do well among Democratic voters with his anti-vaccine sentiment and association with right-wing figures like Joe Rogan and Tucker Carlson.
Kennedy first ran in the Democratic primary, but later decided to run as an independent because he doesn’t trust the two-party system and believes the system is failing the American people. He also said Biden was too old and incompetent and used Trump’s court problems to prove political corruption, according to CNN.
These statements can be seen as politically motivated attacks, depending on the political affiliation. Criticizing the two-party system validates his independent candidacy, and his family even called it “dangerous” for the country, according to the Associated Press.
American Values 2024, a super political action committee, is backing Kennedy’s presidential campaign. The super PAC collected $11 million from supporters in just six hours after Kennedy’s announcement, according to the committee’s press release.
The super PAC wants to paint Kennedy as a humanitarian by saying that he wants to restore peace, tackle racism and heal relationships with Native Americans, but he is also seeking to seal the borders, and that could impact refugees and asylum seekers.
Kennedy is well-known for spreading false information about COVID-19 and vaccines. Running on this position could mean seeing more anti-vaccine movements, even though there is no credible evidence that supports his claims, according to NPR.
These movements spread bad information that affect everyone’s health. Adults not vaccinating their kids can endanger their kids’ health and also affect infants and people with weak immune systems.
Independent and third-party candidates have struggled to get much support in the past, but Kennedy believes an independent candidate can win. The campaign has planned appearances in Texas, Florida and Georgia, according to CNN.
If his campaign is based on anti-vaccine and anti-establishment, Kennedy won’t have issues getting votes in Republican-leaning states.
According to a recent hypothetical poll, 14% of respondents favor Kennedy, 33% prefer Trump and 31% support Biden. This candidacy makes the general election even more complicated, according to a poll by Ipsos, a marketing research company.
An independent candidate like Kennedy could take votes from either candidate and make this another uncertain election like in 2016, but it’s still unknown how this support will turn into votes in November 2024.
Even though Kennedy has a long past with the Democratic Party, his views lean far-right. He is running to fight against the two-party system, but instead is giving them another radical choice in the 2024 race. Although it is still early to tell how this race will play out, one thing is for sure: there will be a lot of propaganda and political division in 2024.
