Will Robert F. Kennedy make independent run?

Fresh speculation has arisen that Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. might run against Joe Biden as an independent or third-party candidate.

Kennedy as spoiler

Newsweek broached the subject Monday afternoon (September 25). According to them, Kennedy was at a town hall meeting in North Charleston, South Carolina, earlier this month. A voter asked him whether he would make an independent run for the White House if he lost the nomination. In reply, he said, “They [the Democratic National Committee] are trying to make sure that I can’t participate at all in the political process.” Therefore, he said, “I’m going to keep all my options open.”

Apparently the Presidential race already has one spoiler: Cornel West, the announced candidate of the Green Party. Newsweek still says Trump and Biden are tied, and presumably bases that on recent polls other than the ABC News/Washington Post poll showing Trump having 10 percent more support. Nor did Newsweek mention the speculation about Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) running for President on a new “No Labels” ticket.

Last week Newsweek covered a poll saying 33 percent of Democrats would vote for Kennedy as an independent candidate.

Newsweek quoted several political experts saying an independent run by Kennedy would prove a formidable, perhaps insurmountable, challenge for Biden. For example:

The last thing Biden needs is Robert Kennedy Jr. running on the Libertarian line. Nothing good will come of that for Biden.

Jay Townsend, political consultant

Mr. Townsend might be talking about a real possibility. The Libertarian Party rank-and-file are split on abortion, which Kennedy would allow. But Libertarians are unalterably opposed to taxpayer funding of abortions – or anything else except police, military, courts, and first responders. Libertarians especially would embrace Kennedy’s stance against government mandates for vaccines or masks.

Endorsements and pending civil actions

Kennedy has an unofficial third-party endorsement, i.e., that of Darrell L. Castle, the 2016 Constitution Party candidate for President. The son of the assassinated New York Senator testified before the House Weaponization Subcommittee. His performance, and the shrill opposition he provoked, led Castle to hail him as “an enemy of the State.” He has his own censorship case pending against the Biden administration. Judge Terry A. Doughty has consolidated his case with that of Missouri v. Biden, now under Supreme Court review. Kennedy founded Children’s Health Defense, which has its own case pending against the Trusted News Initiative members. That case is now before the District Court for the District of Columbia.

About the image

“Robert F. Kennedy Jr.” by Gage Skidmore is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 .