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Robert’s presidential aspirations have roiled the Kennedy household. Forward of his brother’s announcement in April, Chris mentioned in an interview with POLITICO there was “sturdy intra-family dialogue” about Robert working. “All of us shared with him our candid ideas. It’s what a giant Irish Catholic household will do.”
The Kennedys, who’ve one of the crucial distinguished names in Democratic politics, didn’t depart it there. Conversations urging him to drop out continued. Chris mentioned family members confronted him at massive household occasions at Hyannis Port and in Cape Cod. They introduced it up with him over textual content chains and in Zoom conferences. “None of us like battle amongst ourselves,” Chris mentioned, however after they do, “it’s full contact.”
Robert’s siblings have spent months in no unsure phrases attempting to get their brother out of the race. However in the end, Chris mentioned, “It was his determination.” Robert Kennedy Jr.’s marketing campaign didn’t return a request for remark.
Biden was by no means in peril of dropping the nomination, however Robert’s candidacy proved to be one thing of a humiliation for Democrats. Robert, a longtime environmental lawyer and anti-vaccine activist, appeared to be drawing a protest vote from Democrats, suggesting that Biden was weak going into a possible rematch with Trump.
However in Kennedy’s pivot to an unbiased, early polling appears to counsel that the anti-vaccine sentiments he espouses could also be drawing in additional Republicans than Democrats.
Chris thinks there’s one thing to the argument. “With Bobby now not working within the Democratic Social gathering, that’s taken plenty of stress off of us,” he mentioned. “We love our brother. We love our social gathering. And we love our president. In the end, it’s higher that he’s working as an unbiased and might influence President Trump.”
However maybe as a result of they belong to a celebration that has seen the presidency slip away earlier than because of third-party spoilers, different Kennedy siblings weren’t so beneficiant about Robert’s transfer.
“The choice of our brother Bobby to run as a 3rd social gathering candidate in opposition to Joe Biden is harmful to our nation,” Robert’s sister Rory Kennedy shared on social media channels. “We denounce his candidacy and consider it to be perilous for our nation.” Kerry Kennedy, Joseph P. Kennedy II and Kathleen Kennedy additionally signed the assertion.
Chris didn’t signal on to the sentiment, seeming extra optimistic that Robert’s transfer will assist Biden.
“We’re hopeful that he pulls assist from President Trump and that he helps Joe Biden in the long run,” Chris mentioned, calling his brother’s exit “an indication of power” for Biden. “There’s no different candidate eager about working who has as a lot charisma as Bobby. If Bobby couldn’t beat Biden, I don’t suppose anybody can.”
Chris, who runs in Chicago enterprise circles, has tangled with politics himself. He ran for the Democratic nomination for Illinois governor in 2018 and misplaced to the present Gov. JB Pritzker. He sees early anecdotal proof that Robert’s run is interesting to his Republican associates.
“The oldsters I do know who’re most vocal about their assist for Bobby are plenty of my conventional Republican associates,” Chris mentioned. “As a Kennedy, solely Bobby, with that sort of charisma, might entice that a lot Republican assist.”
Chris expects his brother’s marketing campaign will come up throughout upcoming Thanksgiving festivities at Hyannis Port. About 120 family members will collect and everybody will get one other probability to inform Robert what they consider his candidacy.
One member of the family who received’t be vital is Ethel Kennedy, the household matriarch, who “is unequivocally supportive of her youngsters,” Chris mentioned. “However she does have a photograph of President Biden on her mantle.”
RFK Jr. working for president as an unbiased is a reduction for the Kennedys
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