US third-party presidential candidate

As the United States prepares for the 2024 presidential elections, which is nearly four months away, scheduled November 5, the two most prominent prospective party contestants are the sitting President, Joseph Robinette Biden Jr., and the former President, Donald J. Trump. With the first presidential debate on June 27, one could perceive that a fiercely fought poll campaign by the rivals has taken off the ground.

Meanwhile, though America’s two major oldest national parties, the Democratic Party and the Republican Party, have nominated their respective distinguished presidential contenders, there will also be a Third-Party candidate, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., or RFK, who has reportedly claimed a 9 percent vote-following in the country, according to one survey.

Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.,70, is one of the six children of the late Senator and Attorney-General, Robert F. Kennedy, and nephew of the late President John F. Kennedy (both were assassinated) publicly plunged in this presidential race by announcing his intention last March. The junior Kennedy belongs to the nation’s most illustrious and a life-long Democratic family. But he is running as an Independent Third-Party candidate. RFK Jr.’s this daring challenge is being termed as long-shot to the White House. Though his prospects seem to be deeply dim, but in last November, a tiny political outfit, the Natural Law Party, decided to grant RFK Jr. its ballot line that qualified him for the ballot in one of the states to be eligible to enter the presidential vote.

But it’s well-known in the nation’s political circles that RFK Jr. does not enjoy very genial ties with his family. Besides, his personal life too has passed through serious ups and downs: he divorced his wife, is believed to have been suspected of drug use; he’s said to have maintained financial contacts with (rival contestant) Donald Trump’s donors. Trump’s campaign is said to have had multiple dealings with RFK.

Media reports say that RFK Jr. “has emerged as a leading voice of vaccine skepticism, both before and after Covid-19 vaccine, and dabbled in conspiratorial theories, including about the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy, his father. He had initially declared his 2024 campaign as a Democratic challenger to Mr. Joe Biden and switched last Fall (September) to run as an independent.’’ One critic has even branded RFK as “a dangerous egomaniac pushing anti-vaccine messages and anti-government conspiracy theories.’’ But the fact is that RFK will most likely attract one single digit percentage of total vote, but his popularity matters in a contest that could be decided at the margins in some states.

RFK Jr.’s has allegedly been called ‘a leftist and liberal with a history of supporting an extreme environmental agenda that rivals Joe Biden for its ability to kill US jobs.’

Therefore, RFK Jr. has been considered to be a serious threat to the Biden vote blocks. Political strategists have often averred that as Third-Party Independent candidates have little or no chance; they tend to tilt on both sides to win over new voters, anyhow. Consequently, they damage major party nominees’ electoral chances, playing ‘vote spoilers.’ In fact, a New York Times’ opinion writer has declared that ‘RFK Jr. has no path to victory himself and that a vote for him is a vote for Donald Trump.’ Incidentally, a rich (woman) donor has given $20 million to the super political action committee supporting RFK Jr.

Be that as it may, it’s known that in his White House bid, RFK’s main supporters include American ‘disgruntled political soothsayers, new age health gurus, anti-vaccine activists, social media influencers, veterans of fringe third party campaign, cryptocurrency evangelists and militant environmentalist.’ Others include: election campaign staff, communications and field operations. At the moment, RFK is focused on getting on the ballot in as many states as possible; though he’s not likely to touch even two-digit electoral votes of the total of 538 for all the 50 states.

Finally, the fact is that though currently RFK Jr. is ‘not welcome’ in America’s majority of the 50 states, but he has already named his vice-president running-mate, Ms. Nicole Shanahan, said to be a wealthy lawyer of some repute, and the ex-wife of Google’s co-founders one of the most famous I.T. company of America’s renowned Silicon Valley. She has pushed $2 million into the RFK Presidential campaign.

R. Dua, former professor-head, journalism department, Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC), New Delhi, and an ex-faculty Journalism, California State University, US.