More than a dozen members of the Kennedy family approved President Joe Biden for a second term on Thursday, leaving out family member Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
“We want to make clear our feeling that the best path forward for America is to re-elect Joe Biden and Kamala Harris for four more years,” Kerry Kennedy said in a speech announcing the endorsement at a campaign event in Philadelphia.
She showed her support on behalf of 15 members of the Kennedy family at the Martin Luther King Recreation Center alongside five other RFK Jr. siblings: Rory Kennedy, Joseph Kennedy II, Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, Christopher Kennedy and Maxwell Kennedy Sr. .
The Kennedy family has intensified his involvement in Biden’s campaign, working to boost Biden’s chances as Democrats fear Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s candidacy poses a spoiler risk that could hand the election to the former president Donald Trump.
Former Rep. Joseph Kennedy III, the independent candidate’s nephew, said in an interview that he believed his uncle’s “candidacy poses a threat to the country I love and the values I stand for.”
“I think his candidacy is likely to shift support away from President Biden and ultimately increase support for Donald Trump,” he said.
The approval was “months in the making,” according to a source familiar with Biden campaign planning, who added that family members came forward to “do something to show they are united by the president “.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said the: “I heard that some of my family members will support President Biden today. I’m glad they are politically active – it’s a family tradition. We are divided in our opinions but united in our love for each other.”
Kennedy said “many members of my family work and support” his presidential bid, but did not specify which ones.
Joseph Kennedy III, who now serving in the Biden administration as special envoy to Northern Ireland, said the family’s support is aimed at blunting third-party support who could “siphon votes” from the president.
“We want to be able to make that point, not only because of the risk that Bobby’s candidacy shows, but also because of who Joe Biden is, what Joe Biden has done and what Joe Biden will do with four more years in power,” he said.
Joseph Kennedy III acknowledged the “difficult” feelings involved in the endorsement while noting that “this is something that we believe needs to be done.”
“Bobby knows we stand with him as part of his family, while also being able to clearly communicate that his candidacy poses a risk to the country we love,” the younger Kennedy said.
Kerry Kennedy seemed to echo that sentiment in her speech Thursday.
“We can say today, with no less urgency, that our rights and freedoms are once again in danger,” she said. “That’s why we must all come together in a campaign that should unite not just Democrats but all Americans, including Republicans and independents who believe in what Lincoln called the better angels of our nature.”
Kerry Kennedy directly attacked Trump and invoked his father, Robert F. Kennedy.
“I can only imagine how Donald Trump’s lies and outrageous behavior would have horrified my father, Senator Robert F. Kennedy, who proudly served as Attorney General of the United States and fulfilled his promise to enforce the law and protect the country,” he added. she said before comparing her father’s commitment to equal justice and human rights to Biden’s.
In his own remarks, Biden called it “an incredible honor to have the support of the Kennedy family.”
Biden also joined members of the Kennedy family at a grassroots organizing event during which he was introduced by Joseph Kennedy III. The president gave a speech to local supporters and volunteers.
The campaign said members of the Kennedy family are also participating in voter outreach by making calls and knocking on doors.
Members of the Kennedy family have praiseed Biden and enhanced images of family members posing with him, such as a St. Patrick’s Day photo depicting three generations of the Kennedy family with him.
Similarly, Biden describes Robert F. Kennedy as a political hero “who inspired him early in his career to leave corporate law to become a public defender and then run for public office,” the Biden campaign said . Biden also has a bust of the elder Kennedy in the Oval Office.
Some family members were more direct in their criticism of Robert Kennedy Jr., such as when Stephen Kennedy Smith referenced on social media what he called his cousin’s “misguided positions on issues, lack of judgment, and tenuous relationship with the truth “.
Rory Kennedy said in an interview with MSNBC this month: “I love my brother and it pains me to speak out against him. But I’m very concerned about what’s at stake in this election.”
“I fear that his campaign and his candidacy as an independent will lead to the election of Trump,” she added.
Robert Kennedy Jr. responded to criticism of his campaign from family members this month: sayg CNN’s Erin Burnett: “I don’t know anyone in America who has a family that agrees with them on everything.” He reiterated that he loves his family and understands “why they don’t like me to run.”
The campaign intentionally restricted the event to immediate family members, such as several of the candidate’s siblings, a member of the political family said.
The family member brought up how RFK Jr. had previously deflected questions about his family’s criticism of his campaign.
“The message is very clear: Bobby’s own brothers and sisters support the president,” the person said.
Joseph Kennedy III was sensitive to the security concerns raised by his uncle regarding his refused request to Secret Service protection. The younger Kennedy said he was not aware of specific threat assessments, but “I would like my uncle, like everyone who runs for office, to make sure that they have the safety and security the security they need to be able to run a campaign.”
Vote noted that Biden and Trump are headed for a neck-and-neck race — and that a prominent third-party candidate, such as Kennedy, could further shake up both candidates’ prospects. If the presidential election were held in March and the candidates were Biden, Trump and Kennedy, Kennedy would get about 16% of the vote, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll.
