Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Ends 2024 Presidential Bid: A Look at the Impact on the Campaign Trail
RFK Jr. Withdraws from 2024 Presidential Race: As Disgruntled Voters Seek Alternatives, Will Harris Capture Their Support Despite His Trump Endorsement?
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has suspended his presidential campaign and endorsed former President and Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump.
A former Democrat and the son of prominent Democratic figure Robert Kennedy, who served as U.S. Attorney General and was the brother of former President John F. Kennedy, RFK Jr. ran as an independent candidate in his bid for the White House; abandoning his father and uncle’s party.
To put it bluntly, his decision to end his election bid was predictable. Initially, Kennedy’s campaign appealed to a vast swath of voters who were apathetic to both Joe Biden and Donald Trump, anti-establishment voters and anti-vaxxers.
Consequently, his campaign was polling at up to 16 percent in the 2024 election up until Joe Biden’s decision to withdraw from the presidential race.
However, following President Biden’s decision to withdraw from the presidential race and Kamala Harris became the Democratic Party’s nominee, the surge in enthusiasm and energy surrounding her campaign caused his support to plummet to around 5 percent in recent polls, with Harris taking a commanding lead in many of them.
This poll is one of many indicating not only a significant decline in support for Robert F. Kennedy Jr. but also a rise in Democratic polling numbers, reflecting a fundamental shift in the trajectory of the presidential election.
As a result, his decision to suspend his campaign was not a surprising move, but rather one of political opportunism, with reports suggesting he was promised a Cabinet position by Donald Trump in exchange for his endorsement.
It’s reasonable to conclude that many of Kennedy’s supporters will gravitate towards Donald Trump, as their messaging, ideology, and populist appeal align closely. The question remains: Will his decision to drop out of the race turn the tide, once more?
My belief is no. His decision and subsequent endorsement of Donald Trump will have little to no impact on this race for two reasons:
First, recent polls indicate that Kennedy's support has drawn from both potential Harris and Trump voters, with neither candidate holding a significant advantage among RFK supporters.
Second, RFK’s support originated from a noteworthy portion of voters being dissatisfied with the Biden versus Trump matchup. However, Harris’s emergence as the Democratic nominee has revitalized the party's campaign, gaining momentum and increasing support across most, if not all, major voting blocs and demographics.
Withal, Kennedy claims to be running as part of a GOP-led “unity party” ticket to prevent a Harris administration.
In summary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s exit from the 2024 presidential race and his endorsement of Donald Trump marks a significant yet unsurprising development in this volatile election campaign.
While his initial appeal to disillusioned and anti-establishment voters allowed him to gain early traction, the shifting dynamics of the race—especially with Kamala Harris as the Democratic nominee—have rendered his influence negligible.
Harris’s momentum has reinvigorated the Democratic campaign, consolidating support across diverse voting blocs, and diminishing the impact of Kennedy’s endorsement of Trump.
Ultimately, Kennedy’s departure and alignment with Trump are unlikely to alter the course of the election, as the focus now shifts to the main contenders vying for the presidency.