Independent presidential candidate Robert Kennedy, Jr.’s recent running mate announcement sparked an onslaught of attacks and a reported internal “freak out” from the once-friendly Democratic Party against what experts tell Fox News Digital is the party’s “worst nightmare.”
“Only in the new Socialist Democratic Party, they should change their name to reflect who they really are now, would the son of Robert F Kennedy and nephew of Democrat icon JFK be forced from the party that has used their name for decades, all because he had the gall to point out the obvious, Joe Biden is not prepared to lead this country for four more years,” Republican strategist and The Vogel Group principal Matt Keelen told Fox News Digital.
“Anyone with eyes knows that as a fact.”
Kennedy, from one of the most recognizable and beloved Democrat families in American history, has found himself one of the most popular targets of the left after announcing his candidacy for president. Less than two weeks ago, Kennedy announced that tech entrepreneur Nicole Shanahan would be his running mate, sparking a call hosted by the Democratic National Committee (DNC) that many saw as an indicator the party was in panic mode.
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“We are doing everything in our power to get President Biden and Vice President Harris re-elected. It’s critical that we take seriously every possible obstacle to that goal. And let me be clear, that’s exactly what Robert F. Kennedy is in this election. He’s a spoiler,” Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. Austin Davis said on the call.
Shortly after that, NBC News reported that Democrats are internally “freaked out” over Kennedy’s candidacy as he continues to build momentum and qualify to appear on more state ballots.
On St. Patrick’s Day, several members of the Kennedy family posted a photo with President Biden at the White House, which many viewed as a move to troll Kennedy Jr. and several Democratic strategists have been active on social media in recent weeks attacking the independent candidate and attempting to tie him to Donald Trump.
Democrat strategist Lis Smith, who helped lead Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg’s 2020 campaign and is consulting for the DNC on the project, set off a storm of X posts and reposts following Kennedy’s Tuesday speech, referring to the candidate as a “spoiler,” and sharing a video where she accused Shanahan of buying her inclusion on the ticket by donating millions to boost Kennedy before she was named his running mate.
Recent polls have shown Kennedy, Stein and independent candidate Dr. Cornel West would pull significant support from both Biden and Trump, but with Biden appearing to be at risk of losing the most potential votes.
Keelen pointed to the Biden administration’s denial to providing RFK Jr. with Secret Service protection as another example of how far out of favor Kennedy has fallen with the Democratic Party.
“RFK jr was run out of the party by the DNC that rigged yet another primary election – see 2016 – for Hillary, 2020 for Joe, 2024 for Joe again,” Keelen said. “President Biden and his team have also acted shamefully in not granting Secret Service protection to Kennedy despite growing threats and the fact that both of his relatives were gun downed by mad men. Absolutely unbelievable.”
Experts told Fox News Digital the effort to keep Kennedy, who is now running as an independent, out of the Democratic primary and off the ballot as a third party candidate is at odds with their stated goal of protecting democracy.
“So much for the party that says it is defending democracy,” Marc Lotter, former special assistant to the president and former director of strategic communications for Trump’s 2020 campaign, told Fox News Digital. “What Democrats are doing to RFK is no different than what they are doing through the courts and radical election officials to target Donald Trump.”
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“Since Democrats can’t win on Joe Biden’s policy, and they can’t win on Joe Biden’s record, they have to stack the deck by giving Americans fewer choices at the ballot box,” Lotter added. “There is simply no depth that Democrats won’t sink to in their quest to keep power.”
David Avella, GOP strategist and GOPAC chairman, told Fox News Digital part of the reason Democrats are worried about Kennedy is that demographics inside the Democratic Party that have been turning away from Biden are gravitating toward Kennedy’s positions.
“The ghosts of Ralph Nader and Jill Stein’s past presidential candidacies have Democrats convinced they must prevent third-party candidates from being on general election ballot,” Avella said.
“President Biden and Democrats have taken for granted young voters, self-described moderates and minorities to the point that they are at the center of Kennedy’s base of support. Thus, Kennedy being on the ballot in MI, WI, PA, GA and AZ is the Democrats’ worst nightmare and why they are attempting to undercut democracy and select who is on general election ballot.”
Fox News Digital’s Brandon Gillespie contributed to this report
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