Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the nephew of John F. Kennedy, is running for president as a Democrat, according to a statement of candidacy filed with the Federal Election Commission on Wednesday. Kennedy, 69, submitted paperwork to the Federal Election Commission after declaring last month that he was considering challenging Joe Biden.
He is the son of the late Robert F. Kennedy, a former senator and attorney general, who was assassinated in California in 1968 while running for president. John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas, in 1963. Biden is yet to formally announce his bid for reelection, in the 2024 Democrat primary, according to the Associated Press.
Yet Another Kennedy
A prominent anti-vaccine activist and the head of the anti-vaccine nonprofit organization Children's Health Defense, Kennedy is the second Democrat to formally enter the 2024 campaign. He joins author and spiritual guru Marianne Williamson in the sparsely populated Democratic presidential race.
"If it looks like I can raise the money and mobilize enough people to win, I'll jump in the race," he tweeted last month.
"If I run, my top priority will be to end the corrupt merger between state and corporate power that has ruined our economy, shattered the middle class, polluted our landscapes and waters, poisoned our children, and robbed us of our values and freedoms. Together we can restore America's democracy."
Williamson and Kennedy are both considered long shots in the Democratic primary that will most likely match them against Vice President Joe Biden. Biden has often stated his intention to run for reelection, despite the fact that he has not yet formally entered the campaign.
Kennedy, a former environmental lawyer, has long been at the forefront of the anti-vaccine movement, disseminating rumors that vaccines are harmful to children.
He was one of those who opposed vaccine mandates during the Covid-19 epidemic, accusing Anthony Fauci, the foremost expert on infectious diseases, of orchestrating "fascist" during the pandemic.
Controversial Candidate
Kennedy faced repercussions from social media platforms for his promotion of conspiracy theories about Covid-19 and vaccines. Instagram removed his account in 2021 after he shared "debunked claims about the coronavirus or vaccines." Meta also took down the Children's Health Defense Facebook page last August for "repeatedly" violating the platform's policies on Covid-19 and vaccine policies.
Kennedy released a book, The Real Anthony Fauci, in 2021, accusing the nation's leading expert on infectious diseases of aiding in "a historic coup d'etat against Western democracy" and endorsing Covid-19 medications like the anti-parasite drug hydroxychloroquine and the parasite-treating drug ivermectin.
He has occasionally been associated with anti-democratic individuals and organizations due to his opposition to the COVID-19 vaccination.
Kennedy has also made appearances at gatherings promoting the narrative that the 2020 presidential election was rigged and with supporters of or detractors of the January 6 uprising at the U.S. Capitol.
Biden has yet to officially announce a reelection campaign but has indicated he does plan to run for a second term.
This won't be the first time someone from the Kennedy clan has challenged a sitting Democratic president. The late Sen. Ted Kennedy took on President Jimmy Carter for the Democratic nomination in 1980.
Carter was plagued by low approval ratings and a sluggish economy.
In addition to dealing with his personal low approval ratings, Biden also had to restore the economy after it crashed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
