Anti-vaxer RFK Jr becomes fourth Kennedy to run for White House

Robert F. Kennedy Jr launched his campaign to loud cheers from disgruntled Democrats in a sign of the vulnerability of ageing incumbent Joe Biden.

Robert F Kennedy Jr, with wife Cheryl Hines, launches his presidential bid at the Boston Park Plaza on Wednesday. Picture: AFP

Robert F. Kennedy Jr has become the fourth member of his family to run for the Democrat presidential nomination, launching his campaign in Boston to loud cheers from disgruntled Democrats in a sign of the vulnerability of ageing incumbent Joe Biden.

Nephew of assassinated former president John F. Kennedy and the son of Bobby, gunned down on the campaign trail in 1968, the scion of America’s most famous political dynasty spoke for almost two hours before an adoring 1000-strong audience, many of whom had travelled interstate to hear the anti-vaccine campaigner and environmental lawyer call for unity in a divided nation. Another uncle, Teddy, ran for the nomination in 1980.

“During this campaign and during my administration my objective will be to make as many Americans as possible forget that they are Republicans or Democrats and remember that they are Americans,” Mr Kennedy said.

Dressed in a black suit and tie, Mr Kennedy, 69, was introduced by his famous (third) wife Cheryl Hines, star of sitcom Curb Your Enthusiasm, who was standing between large screens with rolling images of the glamorous family in their youth and at the peak of their political power.

“When the American people get to know her, that they are going to be more excited about having a really funny first lady in the White House than they are about me being president,” Mr Kennedy joked on Wednesday.

It was standing room only in the ballroom of the Plaza Hotel in Boston, a city that was once a political stronghold of the Kennedys, as Democrats supporters waved placards “heal the divide” and united over their anger over Covid-19 lockdowns, vaccine mandates and censorship. “The government and media strategy of censoring dissonant voices is not only antithetical to our most fundamental values, it is counter-­productive in that it fuels the flames of polarisation, alienation and anger,” Mr Kennedy said.

Kathleen Hallal, an advocate for sustainable pesticides, said she had flown from California because “Kennedy is reasonable, he represents the middle. We need someone in the middle in the US, the extremes are breaking us apart”.

“His entire career has been around protecting health, the other thing he stands for is his honesty in government, and we need a lot of that right now,” she told The Australian.

Mr Kennedy, who TIME Magazine once named “Hero for the Planet”, spent much of his speech talking about his environmental evangelism against big polluters, before attacking former president Donald Trump for supporting lockdowns during the pandemic, an issue that motivated many of his supporters present.

Long time Democrat voter Joe Pereira, 58, who said he “owns several businesses”, said Mr Kennedy had a “very good chance”, stressing he wasn’t disappointed in – and voted for – Mr Biden in 2020.

“I knew Joe Biden may years ago. He’s good, but Bobby will be better … he has the name and he’s made a name for himself apart from his family,” he said.

The Kennedy rebel enjoyed 14 per cent support among Biden voters, according to a USA Today/Suffolk University Poll released soon after the speech, up from 10 per cent, according to a Morning Consult poll that was released a week earlier.

Mr Kennedy’s long-shot bid – no primary challenger has ever dislodged an incumbent president – reflected the political vulnerability of Mr Biden, 80, amid polls that show most Democrats would prefer a different candidate on the ticket in 2024.

Jeff Langan, a chaplain at Harvard University and former political scientist, said he had come across the river from Cambridge out of “curiosity”.

“We’re craving leadership that recognises the dignity of the human person, and takes seriously the concerns of real American people,” Father Langan said.

“The mainstream media will go after him on the vaccine stuff, but for ordinary voter it’s not going to matter, they won’t care if someone says vaccines should be voluntary.”

Mr Kennedy, who has written two New York Times bestsellers, explained away the notable absences of his relatives, including his cousin Caroline Kennedy, ambassador to Australia, saying they had “taken time to write me beautiful letters of love”.

“My whole family including myself have long personal relations with President Biden, I have family working in administration, many may disagree with me on ­issues likes censorship, war and public health; they are entitled to their beliefs, and I love them back,” he said.