Kennedy Family Endorses Biden —Over RFK Jr., One Of Their Own | EUROtoday

More than a dozen Kennedy members of the family appeared with President Joe Biden Thursday to endorse his reelection over a member of their very own household, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — the Biden marketing campaign’s largest effort but to stem leakage of progressive assist to Kennedy’s unbiased candidacy.

“President Biden has been a champion for all the rights and freedoms that my father and uncle stood for. That’s why nearly every single grandchild of Joe and Rose Kennedy supports Joe Biden,” mentioned Kerry Kennedy, daughter of Robert Kennedy, niece of President John F. Kennedy and brother of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. “That’s right — the Kennedy family endorses Joe Biden for president.”

The Kennedy identify has been iconic in Democratic politics for some 75 years, and particularly so after brothers JFK and RFK had been assassinated within the Nineteen Sixties. Democratic consultants frightened {that a} candidate with that well-known identify may pull voters away from Biden, serving to Donald Trump’s effort to win again the White House.

Initially, Trump’s advisers additionally believed that Kennedy would assist the coup-attempting former president. But they’ve come to see him as cannibalizing Trump’s assist, as Kennedy’s embrace of vaccine conspiracy theories and assist for the pro-Trump mob that attacked the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, have grow to be better-known.

“Interestingly enough, six to eight months ago RFK Jr. pulled more support from Biden than Trump, but now he’s pulling more from Trump,” mentioned GOP pollster Neil Newhouse, who shouldn’t be affiliated with Trump’s marketing campaign. “Democratic voters figured out his issue positions weren’t in line with theirs and, in the meantime, some Republicans seem drawn to him because of his positions.”

Trump himself launched a video final week reflecting this altered dynamic. “RFK Jr. is going to be taking away votes from Crooked Joe Biden,” Trump mentioned, calling Kennedy “radical left.”

“And he should, because he’s actually better than Biden. He’s much better than Biden. If I were a Democrat, I’d vote for RFK Jr. every single time over Biden.”

While Kennedy had assist within the mid-teens nationally when he introduced his candidacy final fall, that determine has fallen into the only digits since.

Still, in a Wall Street Journal ballot final month of the seven states that can possible decide the election, Kennedy averaged 11% assist, whereas the opposite potential third-party and unbiased candidates had been getting 2% or much less.

And in a latest Wisconsin ballot, Kennedy acquired 16% assist from males and 10% from ladies. Among these with bachelor’s levels and above ― a gaggle that has in any other case strongly supported Biden ― he acquired 19 %.

“No surprise Biden is trying to marginalize him with other Kennedy endorsements,” mentioned David Kochel, a veteran Republican marketing consultant who believes Kennedy would pull from Biden and Trump about equally.

At the Martin Luther King Jr. Recreation Center in Philadelphia, Robert Kennedy Jr.’s identify was by no means talked about as soon as throughout the public remarks, neither by Kerry Kennedy nor by Biden — though Kennedy members of the family have beforehand criticized their relative’s presidential run.

“What an incredible honor,” Biden mentioned as she launched him, including that within the Oval Office, straight throughout from the Resolute Desk, he retains busts of King and Robert F. Kennedy.

“He inspired me. And his passion and courage inspired my generation,” Biden mentioned of the elder Robert, the previous lawyer common who was gunned down throughout his personal presidential marketing campaign in 1968.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s marketing campaign referred queries in regards to the endorsement to a press release he had posted on social media.

“I hear some of my family will be endorsing President Biden today. I am pleased they are politically active — it’s a family tradition. We are divided in our opinions but united in our love for each other,” Kennedy wrote.

After the endorsement speeches within the gymnasium, Biden and the Kennedys moved to a different room within the constructing, the place his marketing campaign had arrange a coaching middle for volunteers to study telephone banking and canvassing.

“’We believe, we fight, we win — we get to do it with President Joe Biden,” Joe Kennedy III informed the 150 or so gathered.