President Joe Biden is set to receive endorsements from 15 members of the Kennedy political family during his campaign stop in Philadelphia on Thursday. The aim of this move is to undermine Donald Trump and diminish the impact of independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
According to Kerry Kennedy’s prepared remarks, she envisions her father, Robert F. Kennedy, being appalled by Donald Trump’s deceitful falsehoods and misconduct. As a former attorney general of the United States, her father prioritized upholding the law and safeguarding the nation. He strongly advocated for equal justice, human rights, and freedom from poverty and fear. Kerry Kennedy draws a parallel between her father’s values and those exemplified by President Biden in the present day.
The endorsement came as no shock. The influential Democratic family has made it clear that they have political disagreements with Kennedy Jr., who initially ran as a protest primary challenger to Biden within the Democratic Party and is now running as an independent. Just last month, Biden invited over 30 members of Kennedy’s extended family to the White House to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. During the event, family members had the opportunity to take photos with the president in the Rose Garden and Oval Office.
After receiving the official endorsement, Biden and the Kennedy family had scheduled a campaign event to meet with supporters. Furthermore, members of the Kennedy clan were actively involved in making phone calls to voters and going door-to-door to support Biden’s campaign.
Caroline Kennedy, the U.S. ambassador to Australia, and nonprofit leader Maria Shriver were among the family members who chose not to endorse. The Biden campaign explained that this decision was based on their nonpolitical professional positions.
Shriver, on the other hand, has been a prominent figure at the White House lately, making appearances at events like the State of the Union and delivering a speech at a reception celebrating women’s history month just last month.
According to Bernard Tamas, an expert on third parties from Valdosta State University, it remains uncertain whether Kennedy Jr. would attract more votes from Democrats or Republicans.
Tamas pointed out that while he is pro-science regarding the environment, he tends to lean towards conspiracy theories when it comes to vaccines.
Kennedy Jr. has previously expressed his divergent views from his family on various matters, while emphasizing the importance of maintaining friendly relations. Recently, a super political action committee, backing his campaign, aired a TV ad during the Super Bowl which prominently featured imagery from John F. Kennedy’s 1960 presidential campaign. Kennedy Jr. took to social media platform X to publicly apologize to his relatives, expressing remorse if the advertisement had caused any distress within his family.
The Democratic National Committee has taken action to counter the growing popularity of third-party candidates, with Kennedy Jr. being their primary target. In addition, the DNC has lodged a complaint with the Federal Election Commission, alleging that Kennedy Jr.’s campaign engaged in excessive coordination with an affiliated super PAC in order to secure his name on the presidential ballot in certain states.
The Trump campaign has its reservations about Kennedy Jr. Although Trump has recently expressed in a video that he would vote for RFK Jr. over Biden if he were a Democrat, he has occasionally labeled Kennedy Jr. as more “radical left” compared to Biden.
The Kennedy family’s endorsement serves as the perfect conclusion to three days of campaigning in Pennsylvania.
But the event itself was tinged with nostalgia, as Biden fondly remembered the support he received from the steelworkers when he was just a young 29-year-old candidate from Delaware running for the U.S. Senate.
“It completely transformed everything,” he exclaimed.
