Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Suspends Presidential Campaign

Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. suspended his campaign on Friday in what he said is an effort to make sure Democrats don’t win the White House.

“In my heart, I no longer believe I have a realistic path to electoral victory,” Kennedy said.

He said he will now support former President Donald Trump based primarily on three issues: free speech, the war in Ukraine, and what he called “the war on our children.”

Kennedy announced his decision in Arizona, where he filed paperwork to withdraw his name from the ballot earlier this week. In his speech, he thanked the campaign’s volunteers and staff and derided the political system and Democratic Party. “Now in an honest system, I believe that I would have won the election,” he said. 

A member of one of America’s most prominent political dynasties, Kennedy gained notoriety for strange personal stories and his promotion of conspiracy theories, particularly around vaccines. He joined the race as a Democrat, intending to challenge incumbent President Joe Biden, but then dropped out of the Democratic primary to launch an independent bid. (Biden dropped out of the presidential race himself in July.) Kennedy’s campaign failed to maintain steam—a poll from CBS earlier this month found his popularity lingering at just 2%.

Kennedy said he didn’t want to play spoiler in the tight race between Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris, who accepted the Democratic nomination at the party’s convention this week.

“Our polling consistently showed by staying on the ballot in the battleground states, I would likely hand the election over to Democrats with whom I disagree on the most existential issues— censorship, war, and chronic disease,” he said. 

Kennedy said he would remove his name from the ballot in key battleground states and suspend campaign activities, though would remain on the ballot in less competitive states. “I want everyone to know that I am not terminating my campaign. I'm simply suspending it, not not ending it,” he said.

Trump told CNN on Tuesday that he would consider giving Kennedy a role in his second administration if he dropped out and endorsed him. “I didn’t know he was thinking about getting out, but if he is thinking about getting out, certainly I’d be open to it,” Trump said.