The U.S. presidential race is experiencing new developments daily. In a recent turn of events, Independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. suspended his campaign on Friday (local time) and endorsed former President Donald Trump, as reported by the New York Times. Kennedy made the announcement during a speech in Phoenix, declaring his withdrawal from the race.
He criticized the Democratic Party, accusing it of “abandoning democracy” and engaging in “continued legal warfare” against both him and Trump. This announcement was preceded by his legal team’s filing in a Pennsylvania court, challenging his ballot access in the crucial state.
Kennedy’s lawyer stated that the campaign was dropping its opposition to the legal complaint “as a result of today’s endorsement of Donald Trump for the office of President of the United States.”
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At 70, Kennedy, a member of the prominent Democratic Kennedy family, had run a campaign that combined populist economic rhetoric, isolationist foreign policy views, and skepticism of government. His campaign attracted independent voters and disillusioned Democrats and Republicans, according to the NYT.
Initially running as a Democrat to challenge President Biden for the nomination, Kennedy shifted to an independent campaign after feeling obstructed by the Democratic Party. This move concerned both major parties, with allies of Biden and Trump fearing he might siphon support from their candidates.
As Kennedy secured spots on state ballots, his poll numbers, which had been in double digits, began to decline—a common trend for third-party and independent candidates as the general election nears. By late August, polls showed him at around 5 percent nationwide. Additionally, his campaign finances were dwindling, according to campaign finance reports.
Kennedy, an environmental lawyer, had gained prominence over the past twenty years for opposing vaccine mandates, promoting discredited claims linking childhood vaccinations to autism, and criticizing what he described as “corporate capture” of the federal government by pharmaceutical companies.
During his campaign, Kennedy opposed U.S. aid to Ukraine, supported Israel’s military actions in Gaza, and advocated for stricter border security. His views on abortion were inconsistent, evolving to support restrictions based on fetal viability. Despite attempting to align himself with his family’s political legacy by referencing his father and uncle, Robert F. Kennedy and John F. Kennedy, his family did not support his campaign. Instead, they endorsed President Biden and criticized Kennedy’s candidacy, as noted by the New York Times.
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