Environmental lawyer and prominent anti-vaxxer Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced on Monday that he is leaving the Democratic party to run as an Independent for president in 2024.
“I’m here to declare myself an independent candidate,” Kennedy told his supporters in Philadelphia. “I must declare my own independence. Independence from the Democratic Party and from all other political parties.”
Kennedy, 69, was running a long-shot Democratic primary challenge to incumbent President Joe Biden.
Though he’s a member of one of America’s most famous Democratic families, RFK Jr. is viewed more favorably by Republicans than Democrats due his close relationship to far right figures and his fringe views on vaccines.
It is not clear if his support among Republicans will translate into votes come November 2024 where he’s likely to face President Joe Biden and Donald Trump in the general election.
Both Democrats and Republicans are fearful that RFK Jr’s candidacy could strip votes away from their candidate in the general election.
