The Super Bowl ad that was nearly identical to a 64-year-old campaign commercial for then-presidential candidate John F. Kennedy, only with images of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. supplanting those of his uncle, was put together over the course of a few days and largely relied on a hefty donation from a Democrat donor, the ad's creator told Newsweek on Monday.
Tony Lyons of American Values 2024, the group behind the ad, said a wealthy woman who normally donates to Democrats approached the organization about a week before the Super Bowl looking for a way to get the word out that Kennedy was running for president but having trouble getting on state ballots.
Lyons said it was his decision to spend the $7 million necessary to cut the ad in 36 hours and purchase air time on the Super Bowl. The donor, whom he did not name, foot the bill for a large portion of the total spend, he said.
He said the goal was to reach Baby Boomers, considering that Kennedy, running as an independent, was already polling well among younger voters. In a Siena College/New York Times poll three months ago, Kennedy beat President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump among registered voters under 45 years old in several key battleground states.
He also said about a dozen more ads and "infomercials" are coming from American Values, which has earmarked $3 million for the effort.
He said the secretive nature of the Super Bowl ad, and the ads to come, is owed to fear of potential backlash aimed at those involved.
"I won't give names because there's been such a concerted effort to punish people who work for or endorse Bobby Kennedy, or even interview him on their platforms," Lyons said.
Lyons said Kennedy wasn't consulted about the ad, but the candidate has faced criticism online, nevertheless, some accusing him of plagiarism because the commercial mimics his uncle's old ad.
Lyons, though, called such accusations ridiculous, considering the JFK ad is in the public domain.
He also said that reports focusing on some family members who disapprove of the ad are disingenuous, given they originate from some in Kennedy's extended family who have objected to RFK Jr's. candidacy from the beginning, in part over the candidate's objections to vaccines.
"My cousin's Super Bowl ad used our uncle's faces — and my Mother's. She would be appalled by his deadly health care views. Respect for science, vaccines, & health care equity were in her DNA," Bobby Shriver, a nephew of JFK, wrote on X, formerly Twitter. His brother, Mark Shriver, posted on X that he agreed, "simple as that."
RFK Jr. declined to comment, though he took to X to say: "I'm sorry if the Super Bowl advertisement caused anyone in my family pain. The ad was created and aired by the American Values Super PAC without any involvement or approval from my campaign. F.E.C. rules prohibit Super PACs from consulting with me or my staff. I love you all. God bless you."
Nevertheless, three days before the Super Bowl, the DNC filed a complaint accusing Kennedy and American Values of illegally coordinating with each other.
"The purpose was to get the millions of Americans who didn't know Bobby was running for president to learn that he was, and it worked beautifully. It's been trending incredibly on social media," Lyons told Newsweek.
"We're trying to make it clear what Bobby stands for—fighting corruption and for freedom and trying to unite the country—because it's information that is so controlled by the media and corporate interests."
The DNC's complaint to the FEC states that it is up to Kennedy and his supporters to go state-by-state to gather the necessary signatures to put his name on ballots, but that, "Rather than solving this problem by raising the necessary funds consistent with federal law, Mr. Kennedy and his campaign are trying to take the short cut of having American Values 2024 perform this campaign function for him."
Both Kennedy and the PAC have denied the allegations, though Lyons acknowledges the PAC's goal is to see Kennedy on ballots in all 50 states and in the District of Columbia.
"In a democracy, wouldn't you want a candidate who's consistently polling at 15-27 percent to be on the ballot in a three-way race?" Lyons asked. "Would you really want to disenfranchise millions of voters? The panicked DC power brokers are working overtime to keep Kennedy off the ballot because they know he can and will end their culture of greed and corruption."
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Paul Bond has been a journalist for three decades. Prior to joining Newsweek he was with The Hollywood Reporter. He ... Read more
