Robert F. Kennedy Jr. failed to garner any notable endorsement following his disastrous performance in the debate between President Biden and former President Trump.
Biden’s performance in Atlanta was widely panned but loomed as a possible victory for Kennedy, who is seeking to rally support from supporters of both major candidates in a third-party presidential bid.
But as bad as things have been for Biden, Kennedy faces challenges too, with his approval ratings dipping this week and a Vanity Fair report alleging sexual assault against him that he has not denied.
“If RFK Jr. were truly a viable candidate, he would be making a convincing effort to propel Biden into the lead alternative to President Trump,” said Kyle Kondik, election analyst and editor-in-chief of the forecasting organization Sabato’s Crystal Ball. “Clearly that’s not happening at all, and to the extent that he’s in the news, it’s bad news.”
In another bit of bad news for Kennedy, he posted online on Friday that he was “not taking sides” regarding the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Kennedy quickly clarified that he was responding to a CBS “60 Minutes” report that implicated Saudi Arabia in the al-Qaida attacks, but the comment drew attention as it echoed long-standing conspiracy theories about 9/11.
Democrats have long criticized Kennedy over a range of conspiracy theories, from spreading widely disproven claims about the harmful effects of vaccines and the COVID-19 pandemic to a link between Wi-Fi and cancer, and party members were quick to seize on their candidate’s latest comments.
Brandon Weathersbee, presidential campaign spokesman for American Bridge 21st Century, a Democratic super PAC, said Kennedy implicated the U.S. government in the 9/11 attacks, adding that “there’s hardly a conspiracy theory that RFK Jr. won’t repeat.”
“Whether it’s about Americans dying in a terrorist attack or a global pandemic, RFK Jr. will repeat any conspiracy theory he thinks will bring him attention and money,” Weathersby said. “His rhetoric is as harmful as it is offensive, and he is unfit to lead the country as president.”
It’s the latest sign that Kennedy is continuing to work to become a genuine contender while Biden’s fate remains uncertain.
A New York Times/Siena College poll released a few days after the Atlanta debate put Kennedy’s approval rating at 8 percent, the same as a combined poll by The Hill and Decision Desk HQ (DDHQ).
“Look at what a terrible week Biden had,” Kondik said. “But RFK… [Jr.] “It doesn’t seem to be paying off at all, and certainly no real Democrat is considering supporting RFK Jr. as an alternative to the Democratic nominee.”
Democrats are divided over whether Biden should continue to seek a second term as president, and three House members have called for him to step down. The pleas come as long-time strategists, pollsters and even some of his 2020 opponents have urged the 81-year-old president to step down.
Beyond Biden, Democrats are skeptical that Vice President Harris can beat Trump in the swing states that will determine the election. A recent CNN poll showed Harris running closer to Trump than Biden, but she still trails Trump in most battleground state polls.
But as the Democratic Party’s disarray becomes more public, Kennedy also appears to be struggling. The bad press doesn’t help draw a clear contrast between Biden’s age issue and Trump’s conviction.
Some key allies in the party are particularly worried that Kennedy, who was on their team until October, could tarnish the election and thus help Trump win again. But as this week has made clear, Kennedy also has potential weaknesses.
“I’ve said it all along: I’m not a boy of the church,” Kennedy said in an appearance on YouTube series “Breaking Points” about the Vanity Fair article that allegedly groped a babysitter inappropriately. “I had a very, very tumultuous youth, and in my inaugural address I said I had so much to hide that if everyone could vote, I could run for king of the world.”
Kennedy did not elaborate on the sexual assault allegations and called the article “utter garbage.”
The reaction, and the lack of any notable gains in polls, have come as a relief to some Democrats.
“What we’ve seen in the last few weeks is exactly what many of us have been saying for a long time: The more voters hear about Kennedy, the less favorable they view him,” said Democratic strategist Doug Gordon.
“If a graphic and disgusting photo of you eating a dog comes out and it’s not the worst news story about you that week, it’s not a good week,” Gordon said, referring to another section of the article in which Kennedy appears to be eating an animal carcass. Vanity Fair reported that the carcass was apparently a dog. Kennedy denied the allegations, insisting it was a goat and that the photo was taken during his time in Patagonia.
With four months to go until Election Day, Kennedy’s approval ratings are disappointing for a strong candidate, experts say. He received less than 15% approval in the four CNN polls used as the debate benchmark, which meant he wouldn’t be able to share the stage with Biden and Trump. And it’s unclear whether Kennedy’s name will appear on the majority of November ballots.
Kennedy still needs about two dozen states to reach his 50-state goal, and most secretaries of state have yet to certify his votes, according to the vote tracker on his campaign website. The Hill/DDHQ has confirmed that he has voted in six states.
“The presidential election [a] “These are critical and fluid times when it comes to Trump and Biden, but one truth remains: Kennedy has no path to victory,” Gordon said. “And as this week has demonstrated, he has a history of much more than just failure.”
