Independent presidential candidate Robert Kennedy Jr.’s recent announcement of his running mate has sparked an onslaught of attacks, with experts telling FOX News Digital that there are “abnormalities” within the once-friendly Democratic Party. The situation is reported to be the party’s “worst nightmare”.
“Only the new Socialist Democratic Party should change its name to reflect what it truly is now, and the son of Robert F. Will he be expelled from the party that has used him? Joe Biden had the courage to point out the obvious fact that he is not ready to lead this country for another four years,” said Republican strategist and president of the Vogel Group. Matt Keelen told FOX News Digital.
“Anyone with eyes knows that’s true.”
Mr. Kennedy comes from one of the most well-known and beloved Democratic families in American history, but after announcing his candidacy for president, he found himself one of the left’s most popular targets. Less than two weeks later, President Kennedy announced tech entrepreneur Nicole Shanahan as his running mate, sparking a conference call hosted by the Democratic National Committee and sending the party into a state of panic. Many people saw this as a sign of what was happening.
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President Biden and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (Related news organizations)
“We are working hard to reelect President Biden and Vice President Harris, and it is important that we take seriously every possible obstacle to achieving that goal. And let me be clear: That’s Robert F. Kennedy’s role in this election. He’s a spoiler,” Pennsylvania Lieutenant Governor Austin Davis said by phone.
Shortly after, NBC News reported that Democratic Party insiders were “upset” about Kennedy’s candidacy as he continued to gain momentum and qualify for more state ballots. .
On St. Patrick’s Day, several members of the Kennedy family The photo has been posted He met with President Biden at the White House in what many saw as a move to troll Kennedy Jr., and several Democratic strategists have attacked the independent candidate on social media in recent weeks. Actively trying to link him to Donald Trump.
Rhys Smith, a Democratic strategist who helped lead Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg’s 2020 campaign and is consulting the DNC on the project, was bombarded with X posts and reposts after Kennedy’s Tuesday speech. , calling the candidate a “spoiler” and sharing: A video in which she accused Mr. Shanahan of making millions of dollars in donations to boost Mr. Kennedy and trying to put her on the presidential ticket before he was nominated as his running mate.
Democratic strategist Rhys Smith, second from left, speaks on a panel with Chicago Sun-Times DC bureau chief Lynn Sweet, CNN host Kaitlan Collins, and NBC News correspondent Priscilla Thompson. do. (Joseph A. Wolfthorne/Fox News Digital)
Recent Polls show that Mr. Kennedy, Mr. Stein, and independent candidate Dr. Cornel West will garner significant support from both Mr. Biden and Mr. Trump, but Mr. Biden will receive the majority of potential votes. Looks like you’re at risk of losing it.
Keelen cited the Biden administration’s refusal to provide Secret Service protection to RFK Jr. as another example of how unpopular Kennedy is with Democrats.
“RFK Jr. was kicked out of the party by the DNC for rigging yet another primary election — 2016 for Hillary, 2020 for Joe, and 2024 for Joe again,” Kieren said. “President Biden and his team also shamefully failed to provide Secret Service protection to Kennedy, despite the growing threat and the fact that two of Kennedy’s relatives were gunned down by lunatics. I can’t believe it at all.”
Experts told Fox News Digital that efforts to remove Kennedy, who is currently running as an independent, from the Democratic primary and off the ballot as a third-party candidate are inconsistent with their stated goal of protecting democracy. He said it was contradictory.
“That’s all it takes for a party that claims to be defending democracy,” Mark Lotter, a former special assistant to the president and former director of strategic communications for Trump’s 2020 campaign, told Fox News Digital. “What Democrats are doing to RFK is no different than what they are doing by targeting Donald Trump through the courts and radical election officials.”
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Robert F. Kennedy Jr. hosts a fireside conversation with rapper and producer Eric B. at the Gentleman’s Factory on February 18, 2024 in New York City. (John Nasion/Getty Images)
“Democrats can’t win with Joe Biden’s policies, they can’t win with Joe Biden’s record, so they have to step up their game by giving Americans fewer choices at the ballot box,” Lotter said. added. “There is no depth to which the Democratic Party will not sink in its pursuit of staying in power.”
David Abella, a Republican strategist and chairman of the Republican Party, told Fox News Digital that part of the reason Democrats are worried about Kennedy is that a segment of the Democratic Party that is turning away from Biden is taking Kennedy’s position. He said it was because he was drawn to it.
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President Biden promotes economic policy in Raleigh, North Carolina, January 18, 2024. (Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images)
“The specter of Ralph Nader and Jill Stein’s presidential past has convinced Democrats that they must block third-party candidates from appearing on the general election ballot,” Abella said. “There is,” he said.
“President Biden and the Democratic Party are taking it for granted that young voters, self-proclaimed moderates, and minorities are the core of Kennedy’s support base. Therefore, Kennedy will be able to win states like Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and Georgia. , are on the ballot in Arizona.” This is Democrats’ worst nightmare and why they are trying to undermine democracy and select who will vote in the general election. ”
Fox News Digital’s Brandon Gillespie contributed to this report
