RFK Jr drops out of US presidential race, backs Trump

Polls have indicated that Robert F Kennedy Jr’s departure from the race as an independent candidate could help Donald Trump.

“I promised the American people that I would withdraw from the race if I became a spoiler,” Robert F Kennedy said at a rally on Friday. Picture: AFP

Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr said he would suspend his election bid and endorse Donald Trump, potentially boosting the Republican former president just after Democrats left their convention with renewed hope for a win.

“I promised the American people that I would withdraw from the race if I became a spoiler,” Kennedy said at a rally on Friday. “In my heart, I no longer believe that I have a realistic path to electoral victory in the face of this relentless, systematic censorship and media control.” In explaining his decision to back Trump, Kennedy said that the principles that persuaded him to leave the Democratic Party and run as an independent now led him to back the former president. He cited protecting free speech, among other examples.

Polls indicate that Kennedy’s departure will likely help Trump, providing some welcome news for a candidate who has struggled to counter the momentum of his Democratic opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris. Her entrance into the race last month in place of President Biden has turned the election on its head. She now is ahead in many national polls and posting better numbers in vital battleground states.

At the rally, Kennedy suggested that Trump, with whom he has spoken to in recent weeks, had asked “to enlist me in his administration.” He said he tried to meet with Harris and she declined.

The Harris campaign said in a statement that, for Americans who are tired of Trump, “ours is a campaign for you. ... Vice President Harris wants to earn your support.” The Democratic National Committee was more negative, saying that Kennedy’s announcement was bizarre and that “his candidacy has never been anything other than a spoiler campaign for Trump.” Trump campaign pollster Tony Fabrizio said in a memo that survey data clearly showed Kennedy’s move would boost the Republican, even if Democrats claimed otherwise. “This is good news for President Trump and his campaign -- plain and simple,” Fabrizio wrote.

Kennedy’s announcement came after increasing speculation about the purpose and viability of his run. Kennedy, an environmental lawyer who is the son of liberal icon Senator Robert Kennedy, was unable to build on an initial surge of interest in his campaign – despite polls showing significant voter dissatisfaction with the Democratic and Republican slates. The campaign faced hurdles in qualifying for state ballots and was hit by a series of minor scandals that undercut Kennedy’s run.

“In an honest system, I believe I would have won the election,” Kennedy said. On Friday he said he would remove his name from the ballot in competitive battleground states -- but leave it on others, letting voters back him in solid blue or solid red states where he wouldn’t affect the outcome.

Democrats feared from the outset that Kennedy would act as a spoiler, shaving off support for Biden in what was expected to be a tough rematch with Trump. In 2000, third-party candidate Ralph Nader was blamed by Democrats for Republican George W. Bush’s defeat of Democrat Al Gore by winning significant votes in Florida.

Biden’s decision last month to exit the race upset that equation, and polls showed many Democratic-leaning voters in recent weeks abandoned Kennedy and returned to the party fold after Harris became the nominee. That left mostly dissatisfied Republicans in the Kennedy column – who now may be inclined to come home to Trump.

Kennedy and his running mate, Nicole Shanahan, pitched themselves as unity candidates who could bring together a polarised country. Shanahan suggested publicly earlier this week that the pair might end their bid and join with Trump to prevent Harris from becoming president. Trump praised Kennedy after the comments and said he would be honoured to receive an endorsement, while acknowledging they have different positions and opinions on some issues.

Kennedy, age 70, originally began running for president last year as a Democrat to challenge Biden, saying he wanted to “end the corrupt merger of state and corporate power that is threatening now to impose a new kind of corporate feudalism” in America. When that proved unsuccessful, he switched to running as an independent. Polls showed him picking up voters who were dissatisfied with the 2020 rematch of Biden and Trump, at times showing him with more than 10% support nationally.

Many Kennedy relatives distanced themselves from the candidate and backed Biden in the presidential election. Kennedy said in response that his father wouldn’t recognise the Democratic Party as it is now.

Backers ranged from voters who agreed with Kennedy’s questioning of the safety and efficacy of Covid-19 vaccine and other government-endorsed vaccines. Others were people who said they had been censored by the government, which Kennedy accuses the U.S. of doing, or were intrigued by the Kennedy name.

In March, Kennedy tapped tech lawyer Shanahan as his running mate, bringing on board the deep-pocketed ex-wife of Google founder Sergey Brin. Shanahan, age 38, gave a much-needed cash boost to the campaign. In July as the campaign struggled, she gave the campaign $US2.5 million, bringing her total donations, including in-kind contributions, to more than $US15 million.

The two also gained support from a super PAC funded significantly by billionaire Tim Mellon who typically backs Republicans and people who want to see a third-party and independent candidate make strides. Larry Sharpe, who is directing outreach for American Values 2024 super PAC, said he saw Kennedy as the best shot in recent years to get an independent candidate above a 5% threshold that could qualify a third-party for public campaign funds.

Kennedy has been steadily slipping in polls since Democrats replaced Biden with Harris as their presidential nominee. In a Wall Street Journal national poll released in late July after Harris entered the race, Kennedy received 4% support. That was down from 7% in early July – when Biden was still in the contest.

Kennedy said he had to spend millions of dollars of the money he raised on security for events before he was granted Secret Service protection in July, after the attempted assassination of Trump. Kennedy’s father was assassinated in 1968, and his uncle, President John Kennedy, was assassinated in 1963.

He also was forced to spend money to get on ballots in states across the country. Ultimately he was certified for 22 ballots, but some efforts were challenged in court, racking up more legal fees. A New York state judge ruled earlier this month that Kennedy doesn’t have a valid residence in the state, a blow that was likely to spur additional challenges around the country.

The Wall Street Journal