Robert F. Kennedy Jr. 2024 presidential campaign

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for President 2024
Campaign2024 U.S. presidential election
2024 Democratic primaries (until October 9, 2023)
CandidateRobert F. Kennedy Jr.
Environmental lawyer
(for President)
Nicole Shanahan
Lawyer and technologist
(for Vice President)
AffiliationIndependent
Democratic Party (until October 9, 2023)
AnnouncedApril 19, 2023
SuspendedAugust 23, 2024[a]
HeadquartersWalpole, Massachusetts[1]
Key peopleAmaryllis Fox Kennedy (campaign manager)
Dennis Kucinich (campaign manager until October 13, 2023)[2]
Charles Eisenstein (senior advisor)[3]
John E. Sullivan (treasurer)[4]
Del Bigtree (communications director)[5]
Stefanie Spear (campaign press secretary)[6]
ReceiptsUS$44,029,356.48[7] (April 30, 2024)
SloganDeclare Your Independence[8]
Heal the Divide
The Remedy Is Kennedy
The America That Almost Was, and yet May Be
America Strong
Website
kennedy24.com

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced his campaign for the 2024 United States presidential election on April 19, 2023.[9] An environmental lawyer,[10] writer, and member of the Kennedy family, he is known for advocating anti-vaccine misinformation[11][12][13] and public health conspiracy theories.[14] He initially ran for the Democratic Party nomination, but announced on October 9, 2023, that he would run as an independent candidate.[15] On March 26, 2024, Kennedy announced Nicole Shanahan as his running mate. On August 23, Kennedy largely suspended his campaign and endorsed Donald Trump.

Kennedy holds a diverse set of traditionally conservative, liberal, and libertarian views, in addition to his conspiracy theories.[11][16][17] Kennedy initially received support from independents and youth,[18] while also drawing significant support from Republican donors and Trump allies who believed he would serve as a spoiler for Biden.[19] His campaign also received strong support and praise from various tech industry executives in Silicon Valley.[20][21][22] Reactions to his campaign from his extended family were largely negative.[23][24]

On August 23, 2024, Kennedy largely suspended his campaign and endorsed the campaign of the Republican nominee, former president Donald Trump.[25] Kennedy also said he planned to remove his name from the ballot in ten swing states but that his name would remain on the ballot in most states.[26] Kennedy was able to remove his name from almost all swing states.[27] The next month, Kennedy began to withdraw from safe Republican-leaning states, to give the Trump campaign a better chance of winning.


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  1. ^ "FEC Form 2 Statement of Candidacy". April 5, 2023. Retrieved October 9, 2023.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference NYT2023-10-13 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Goldberg, Michelle (July 5, 2023). "Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and the Coalition of the Distrustful". The New York Times. Retrieved October 9, 2023.
  4. ^ Bradner, Eric; Wright, David (April 5, 2023). "Robert F. Kennedy Jr. files paperwork to run for president as a Democrat". CNN. Archived from the original on April 15, 2023.
  5. ^ Irwin, Lauren (January 2, 2024). "Leading anti-vaccine activist joins RFK Jr. campaign as communications director". The Hill. Archived from the original on January 3, 2024. Retrieved January 3, 2024.
  6. ^ Trudo, Hanna (May 11, 2024). "Here are the states where RFK Jr. says he has made the ballot". The Hill. Retrieved May 17, 2024.
  7. ^ "Report of Receipts and Disembursements – Team Kennedy". FEC. May 17, 2024.
  8. ^ "Kennedy24 website". October 9, 2023. Retrieved October 9, 2023.
  9. ^ "Robert Kennedy Jr. Announces 2024 Presidential Campaign". C-SPAN. April 19, 2023. Retrieved July 5, 2023.
  10. ^ Stolberg, Sheryl Gay (April 17, 2023). "Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Soon to Announce White House Run, Sows Doubts About Vaccines". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 4, 2023.
  11. ^ a b The Anti-Vaxx Playbook (PDF) (Report). Center for Countering Digital Hate. 2020. Archived (PDF) from the original on July 9, 2022. Retrieved June 9, 2023.
  12. ^ Mnookin, Seth (January 11, 2017). "How Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., Distorted Vaccine Science". Scientific American. Retrieved July 6, 2023.
  13. ^ Smith, Michelle R. (December 15, 2021). "How a Kennedy built an anti-vaccine juggernaut amid COVID-19". Associated Press. Retrieved July 6, 2023.
  14. ^ Multiple sources:
  15. ^ Gibson, Brittany; Zhang, Andrew (October 9, 2023). "RFK Jr. announces he will run as an independent candidate". Politico. Retrieved October 9, 2023.
  16. ^ Trudo, Hanna (October 25, 2023). "RFK Jr. lurches right with independent 2024 bid". The Hill. Retrieved November 15, 2023.
  17. ^ Pengelly, Martin (October 6, 2023). "Robert F Kennedy Jr announced as speaker at hard-right CPAC event". The Guardian. Retrieved October 24, 2023.
  18. ^ "2024 Presidential Race Stays Static In The Face Of Major Events, Quinnipiac University National Poll Finds; RFK Jr. Receives 22% As Independent Candidate In 3-Way Race". Quinnipiac University Polling Institute. November 1, 2023. Retrieved November 2, 2023. With minority and younger voters seeming intrigued, Kennedy, for now, enjoys the kind of demographic support his charismatic father and uncles generated decades ago
  19. ^ Cite error: The named reference NYTApril10 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  20. ^ Primack, Dan (June 8, 2023). "Silicon Valley's loudest moguls get behind RFK Jr". Axios. Retrieved November 20, 2023.
  21. ^ Robertson, Derek (June 7, 2023). "RFK Jr. crashes the techno-politics party". Politico. Retrieved November 20, 2023.
  22. ^ "Why Silicon Valley Moguls Are Backing Kennedy's Presidential Run". The New York Times. June 29, 2023. Retrieved November 20, 2023.
  23. ^ Cite error: The named reference Dovere was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  24. ^ Cite error: The named reference Shabad was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  25. ^ Cooper, Jonathan J.; Price, Michelle L.; Sandoval, Gabriel (August 23, 2024). "RFK Jr. suspends his presidential bid and backs Donald Trump before appearing with him at his rally". Associated Press. Retrieved August 31, 2024. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. suspended his independent campaign for the White House and endorsed Donald Trump on Friday, a late-stage shakeup of the race that could give the former president a modest boost from Kennedy's supporters ... However, he made clear that he wasn't formally ending his bid and said his supporters could continue to back him in the majority of states where they are unlikely to sway the outcome.
  26. ^ Trudo, Hannah; Mueller, Julia (August 23, 2024). "RFK Jr. suspends campaign, throws support behind Trump". The Hill. Retrieved August 23, 2024.
  27. ^ Cite error: The named reference NPRWithdraw was invoked but never defined (see the help page).