Presidential hopeful Robert F. Kennedy Jr. told CNN's Michael Smerconish on Saturday morning that he is "looking at" running as a Libertarian candidate, which would guarantee he would be on the ballot in all 50 states.
Currently, his campaign team is gathering signatures in each state to assure he is on the ballot as an independent candidate.
The Context
The comments by Kennedy come following this week's announcement that his campaign collected the 3,000 signatures necessary to be on the ballot in New Hampshire in November.
Kennedy, who recently turned 70 years old, also reportedly has the necessary signatures in Utah to take on President Joe Biden and either of the Republican frontrunners, Donald Trump or Nikki Haley.
What We Know
Politico reported this week that the super PAC supporting Kennedy had raised $5.8 million.
Smerconish highlighted polls that were favorable to Kennedy and third parties, including an ABC/IPSOS poll that showed that 37 percent of voters would consider a third-party candidate if the 2024 race is between Biden and Trump. In the same poll, that percentage jumps to 51 percent among independent and moderate women voters.
"We'll be on the ballot in every state and the District of Columbia," Kennedy told Smerconish. "We have a ground team in all of the states. There are 27 states where you need a Vice President (to be on the ballot), but we have until August."
There is also continued speculation that the "No Labels" political organization could launch a third-party run with a bipartisan ticket.
Views
Experts believe Kennedy, formerly a Democrat, could pull voters away from Biden in the general election.
Mark Weaver, a Republican strategist, told Newsweek in October that he expects Kennedy to pull more from Biden than from Trump in a hypothetical matchup.
"Although it's a close call....There are more movable voters in Biden's camp who would never move towards Trump than the reverse," Weaver said. "While core Republicans view Kennedy more favorably than core Democrats, that's a short-term effect due to Kennedy's heterodox views on a few issues. But those people, in the end, are still likely to vote for Trump."
Tom Rogers and Susan Del Percio, wrote a Newsweek Opinion column earlier this month about the warning signs facing the Biden campaign related to third-party candidates, like Kennedy, along with Jill Stein (Green Party) and Cornel West (People's Party).
"The big neon sign flashing at the Biden campaign is the lack of enthusiasm among constituencies they must win with substantial margins, like the youth and minority voting blocs. It is these voters who are now giving a hard look to third-party candidates like Kennedy, West, and Stein. The other group of voters, critical to Biden being re-elected are those Republicans and center-right independents that voted for Biden in 2020, not for his policies, but against Trump and for democracy," they wrote.
What's Next?
Kennedy's campaign also recently announced in a press release that its newly branded, "We the People" political party has been created in five states, along with the "Texas Independent Party" in the Lone Star state.
According to the press release, paperwork was filed by Kennedy supporters to establish "We the People" in California, Delaware, Hawaii, Mississippi and North Carolina.
According to its website, Kennedy shows the same effort is in progress in more than a dozen other states.
Kennedy also noted to Smerconish an upcoming speaking engagement at the California Libertarian Party Convention in February.
"We are talking to the Libertarian Party and I feel comfortable with most of the values of the party," he said.
Smerconish highlighted an interview from the fall with Libertarian Party chair Angela McArdle where she stated: "We've had a lot of good conversations [with Kennedy] and we're on good terms. I respect his decision to run as an Independent. We admire his strong position against mandates and lockdowns. We're going to stay on friendly terms and see what happens."
Update 1/27/24, 11:28 a.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Gabe Whisnant is Deputy Weekend Editor at Newsweek based in South Carolina. Prior to joining Newsweek in 2023, he directed ... Read more
