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Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s presidential ambition may have gained him national attention — especially given the threat that some Democrats believe he poses to President Joe Biden’s re-election — but it certainly has not endeared him to all of his family.
On Thursday, 15 Kennedy family members — including six of RFK Jr.’s 10 siblings — publicly endorsed Biden during a campaign event with the president in Philadelphia.
On Thursday, 15 Kennedy family members — including six of RFK Jr.’s 10 siblings — publicly endorsed Biden during a campaign event with the president in Philadelphia.
The endorsement is not surprising. Most members of the political dynasty have not just kept Kennedy’s campaign at arm’s length, but also have actively opposed it. (Family members had also publicly criticized Kennedy’s conspiratorial takes on vaccines well before he launched his presidential bid.) The day Kennedy announced that he would run as an independent after initially running as a Democrat, four of his siblings denounced his third-party candidacy, calling it “perilous” for the country.“Bobby might share the same name as our father, but he does not share the same values, vision or judgment,” they wrote in a statement.
Joseph Kennedy III, a former member of Congress who now serves as Biden’s special envoy to Northern Ireland, told NBC News that the family’s endorsement of Biden brought up “challenging” feelings, yet “it’s something we believe has to be done.”
RFK Jr.’s campaign does seem to have legs in unexpected corners, though how much understanding some of his supporters have about his qualifications is questionable. Ahead of the Kennedy family members’ endorsement of Biden, his campaign announced that he had gained ballot access in Michigan through a nomination from the Natural Law Party. Party chairman Doug Dern called Kennedy — who has never served in elected office and is known for his affinity for conspiracy theories — “the most qualified candidate in the modern-day history of America.”