Democrats are taking extraordinary steps to prevent Robert F. Kennedy Jr. from hindering their efforts to keep the White House in November.
From rallying Kennedy’s family around President Biden, to dumping opposition research and holding press briefings about how he helps former President Trump, Democrats watching Kennedy qualify for more state ballots are pulling out all the stops to prevent him from hurting Biden in the fall.
“There’s no education in the second kick of the mule,” said Antjuan Seawright, a Democratic strategist who has advised Biden’s presidential campaigns. “In 2016, we saw the impact that third-party candidates had on the election. And we also saw potentially a fault line of not educating enough [about] what votes for those candidates could mean long term for the country.”
Kennedy has made some notable decisions in recent weeks that have caught Democrats’ attention, including choosing a wealthy running mate in Nicole Shanahan and announcing he would not run on the Libertarian Party ticket.
Democrats looking to preserve Biden’s electoral coalition are concerned by his strategy. When Kennedy was hurting for money, they took solace that he may not go the distance, noting how expensive it is to petition for ballots in each state. And when he was toying with a Libertarian bid, they also optimistically hoped he’d chip into Trump’s base instead of Biden’s.
With both challenges now in the rear view, Democrats are focusing on what could come next.
“There will be a clear choice facing voters this November and the more they learn about RFK Jr, the more they will recognize that a vote for him is a vote for Donald Trump,” said Matt Corridoni, a spokesperson with the Democratic National Committee, which has now dedicated a new department to helping stop Kennedy’s White House bid.
