PHILADELPHIA ā Republicans attacked Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Monday as the longtime environmental lawyer and anti-vaccine activist launched an independent bid for the White House, reflecting growing concerns on the right that the former Democrat now threatens to take votes from former President Donald Trump in 2024.
The Republican National Committee and Trump's campaign both took aim at Kennedy's liberal background while national Democrats stayed silent as Kennedy insisted in a speech in Philadelphia that he was leaving both political parties behind.
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āVoters should not be deceived by anyone who pretends to have conservative values,ā said Trump spokesperson Steven Cheung in a statement. He labeled Kennedy's campaign ānothing more than a vanity project for a liberal Kennedy looking to cash in on his familyās name.ā
The fiery response exposes the unknowns that lie in Kennedy's long-anticipated decision to run as an independent. The move is likely to impact the 2024 race, which appears to be heading toward a rematch between Trump and President Joe Biden, but it's still unclear exactly how.
Kennedy, a member of one of the most famous families in Democratic politics, was running a long-shot primary bid and holds better favorability ratings among Republicans than Democrats. Even Trump just two weeks ago said of Kennedy, āI like him a lot. Iāve known him for a long time.ā
Allies of both Biden and Trump have at times questioned whether Kennedy would be a spoiler against their candidate.
āThe truth is, theyāre both right,ā Kennedy said onstage Monday to roaring applause. āMy intention is to spoil it for both of them.ā
Speaking Monday from Philadelphia's Independence Mall, where Americaās founding documents were adopted, Kennedy made it clear he didnāt want to be affiliated with either party. He referenced a ārising tide of discontentā in the country. He said he wants to make a ānew declaration of independenceā ā from corporations, the media and the two major political parties.
Hundreds of supporters who gathered for Kennedyās remarks, holding signs that read āDeclare your independenceā and at times chanting āRFK, all the way!ā were upbeat about his decision. An eclectic mix of disillusioned Democrats, Trump voters looking for a change, and political outsiders who say their ideas donāt square with any one party, they insisted that Kennedy could unify them all.
āHeās going to win,ā said Peter Pantazis, a 40-year-old business owner from Lewes, Delaware. āIāve been praying that heās going to decentralize the campaign, get away from the party system and actually be the candidate of the people for the people. And thatās what he announced today.ā
āThe last couple years Iāve been noticing the Republican Partyās been going a way I didnāt like,ā said Brent Snyder, a disabled veteran from south Philadelphia. āNot that I agree with everything thatās happening to Trump, but I think right now he has more baggage than his country needs. The division right now is just terrible. We need someone to bring both sides together to make us work.ā
Joy, hope and the faint smell of marijuana hovered above the crowd as Kennedy spoke of John Adams' unwavering support for his country and George Washington's prescient warning that partisan politics would result in corruption.
Yet Kennedy's upstart campaign has a long way to go to compete with the funding, support and experience that the Trump and Biden campaigns enjoy. His announcement Monday was delayed briefly when he arrived onstage only to find his speech was loaded upside-down in the teleprompter.
Mondayās announcement comes less than a week after the progressive activist Cornel West abandoned his Green Party bid in favor of an independent White House run. Meanwhile, the centrist group No Labels is actively securing ballot access for a yet-to-be-named candidate.
Aware of the risk that Kennedy could pull votes away from Republicans, Trump allies have begun circulating opposition research against Kennedy designed to damage his standing among would-be conservative supporters.
The Republican National Committee published a fact sheet before Kennedyās speech titled āRadical DEMOCRAT RFK Jr.ā that lists times he supported liberal politicians or ideas. The document also listed times he supported conspiracy theories about COVID-19 or āstolen-election claimsā related to the 2000 and 2004 presidential elections that Democrats lost to President George W. Bush. Trump continues to promote the disproved theory that his loss to Biden was the result of a stolen election.
Bidenās allies so far have dismissed Kennedyās primary campaign as unserious. Asked for comment ahead of the announcement, a Democratic National Committee spokesman responded with an eye roll emoji. The DNC declined to comment Monday.
Four of Kennedy's eight surviving siblings put out a joint statement denouncing his candidacy and saying his announcement saddened them.
āThe decision of our brother Bobby to run as a third party candidate against Joe Biden is dangerous to our country,ā it read. āBobby might share the same name as our father, but he does not share the same values, vision or judgment.ā
Tony Lyons, co-founder and co-chairman of American Values 2024, the super PAC supporting Kennedy, dismissed those comments as āpart of a strategy to discredit him.ā
āAt his family dinner tables they would disagree about everything, and that's what democracy looks like," Lyons said. āFamilies are allowed to disagree.ā
While Kennedy has long identified as a Democrat and frequently invokes his late father, Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, and his uncle President John F. Kennedy on the campaign trail, he has built close relationships with far-right figures in recent years. He appeared on a channel run by the Sandy Hook conspiracy theorist Alex Jones and headlined a stop on the ReAwaken America Tour, the Christian nationalist road show put together by Trumpās former national security adviser Michael Flynn.
Polls show far more Republicans than Democrats have a favorable opinion of Kennedy. He also has gained support from some far-right conservatives for his fringe views, including his vocal distrust of COVID-19 vaccines, which studies have shown are safe and effective against severe disease and death.
Kennedyās anti-vaccine organization, Childrenās Health Defense, currently has a lawsuit pending against a number of news organizations, among them The Associated Press, accusing them of violating antitrust laws by taking action to identify misinformation, including about COVID-19 and COVID-19 vaccines. Kennedy took leave from the group when he announced his run for president but is listed as one of its attorneys in the lawsuit.
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Associated Press writers Jill Colvin, Michelle Smith, and Will Weissert contributed to this report.
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