Robert F. Kennedy Jr. 2024 presidential campaign facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for President 2024 |
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| Campaign | 2024 U.S. presidential election 2024 Democratic primaries (until October 9, 2023) |
| Candidate | Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Environmental lawyer (for President) Nicole Shanahan Lawyer and technologist (for Vice President) |
| Affiliation | Independent Democratic Party (until October 9, 2023) |
| Announced | April 19, 2023 |
| Suspended | August 23, 2024 (partial) |
| Headquarters | Walpole, Massachusetts |
| Key people | Amaryllis Fox Kennedy (campaign manager) Dennis Kucinich (former campaign manager) Charles Eisenstein (senior advisor) John E. Sullivan (treasurer) Del Bigtree (communications director) Stefanie Spear (campaign press secretary) |
| Receipts | US$44,029,356.48 (April 30, 2024) |
| Slogan | Declare Your Independence Heal the Divide The Remedy Is Kennedy The America That Almost Was, and yet May Be America Strong |
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced his campaign for the 2024 United States presidential election on April 19, 2023. He initially ran for the Democratic Party nomination, but announced on October 9, 2023, that he would run as an independent candidate. On March 26, 2024, Kennedy announced Nicole Shanahan as his running mate. On August 23, 2024, Kennedy suspended his campaign and endorsed the campaign of former President Donald Trump. Kennedy also said he would remove his name from the ballot in ten swing states and that his name would remain on the ballot in most states.
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Background
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Kennedy is a member of the Kennedy family, four of whom have previously run for the United States presidency. His uncle, John F. Kennedy, was elected president as a Democrat in 1960 after a successful presidential campaign. In subsequent decades, several other family members sought the Democratic Party presidential nomination, but have failed to be nominated. His father and namesake, Robert F. Kennedy, ran a campaign for the nomination in 1968, but he was assassinated before the party's nominating convention. His uncle-by-marriage, Sargent Shriver, ran for the nomination in 1976, but later withdrew from the race. His uncle, Ted Kennedy, ran a campaign for the nomination in 1980, but was defeated in the primaries by incumbent president Jimmy Carter.
Change of political designation
On September 29, 2023, Mediaite reported that Kennedy was reorienting his campaign to run as an independent rather than as a Democrat. On October 9, 2023, Kennedy confirmed these reports by formally announcing that he will be continuing his presidential bid as an independent candidate. The announcement took place at an event in held Philadelphia.
Vice presidential selection
Attorney and philanthropist Nicole Shanahan was announced as Kennedy's running mate for vice president on March 26, 2024. Following the announcement, the campaign said it would work on ballot access in 19 states where a running mate is a precondition for being on the ballot.
The campaign had announced on March 12 that Kennedy had selected a running mate from a shortlist that included former U.S. Representative Tulsi Gabbard, U.S. Senator Rand Paul, professional football player Aaron Rodgers, former Minnesota governor Jesse Ventura, and entrepreneur Andrew Yang. Other potential candidates that met with Kennedy include motivational speaker Tony Robbins, television host Mike Rowe, and civil rights attorney Tricia Lindsay. On March 16, Mediaite reported that Kennedy would select Shanahan, and his campaign manager confirmed she was under consideration. Gabbard has said that Kennedy offered her the vice presidential position, but she "respectfully declined" it.
Campaign suspension and endorsement of Trump
In April 2023, Vice reported that Roger Stone and others had promoted the idea of a Trump-Kennedy ticket. However, Kennedy indicated that he would not join such a ticket, asserting that both Trump's and Biden's policies had failed. In January 2024, Kennedy confirmed that Trump's team had reached out to him about possibly serving as vice president. Kennedy declined and also stated that he would not accept it if offered it again.
On August 23, Kennedy held a press conference in Phoenix, Arizona, where he announced he would suspend his campaign and endorse Trump. However, Kennedy encouraged his supporters to still vote for him in blue and red states and even hinted at a contingent election scenario in which no one gets 270 electoral votes and he could still win. That night, he attended and spoke at a Trump rally in Glendale. Kennedy also withdrew from the Texas ballot.
Political positions
Economy
When launching his campaign, Kennedy said that his priority would be "to end the corrupt merger of state and corporate power that is threatening now to impose a new kind of corporate feudalism in our country". Strongly critical of the contemporary political economy of the United States, he described it as "cushy socialism for the rich and this kind of brutal, merciless capitalism for the poor".
Kennedy has stated that he will enact policies that favor "small and medium businesses" and break up "too-big-to-fail" banks and monopolies: "When crisis strikes, bail out the homeowners, debtors, and small business owners instead."
In an interview with The Hill's "Rising" program, Kennedy stated he would be in favor of "giving some kind of massive debt forgiveness" for student loans in order to "unleash" creative energies and "rebuild the country."
Foreign policy
Kennedy has said he wants to "end the proxy wars, bombing campaigns, covert operations, coups, paramilitaries, and everything else that has become so normal most people don’t know what’s happening." He says that "the Democratic Party became the party of war,” and said "I attribute that directly to President Biden."
In June 2023, Kennedy stated in an interview that on broad terms he believes that U.S. foreign relations should involve significantly reducing the military presence in other nations. He specifically said the country must "start unraveling the Empire" through closing U.S. bases in different locations worldwide.
Health care coverage
In contrast to a Medicare for All system as proposed by politicians like Bernie Sanders, Kennedy has stated that "my highest ambition would be to have a single-payer program ... where people who want to have private programs can go ahead and do that but to have a single program that is available to everybody." He then said that such a system would probably be "politically unrealistic." He also opposes the prospect of nationalizing the pharmaceutical industry or providing a public option for pharmaceuticals, and instead emphasizes the need to prevent regulatory capture.
Kennedy has said he wants to make existing services available to all, including "alternative and holistic therapies that have been marginalized in a pharma-dominated system."
Gun rights and school shootings
Kennedy has stated "I'm not going to take people's guns away and I believe in gun control myself." He has explained his position by saying "I'm a constitutional absolutist. We can argue about whether the Second Amendment was intended to protect guns. That argument has now been settled by the Supreme Court."
See also
In Spanish: Campaña presidencial de Robert F. Kennedy Jr. de 2024 para niños
- 2024 Democratic Party presidential primaries
