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Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. continues to stir the American election movement.
Experts believe that he can set the hook for Donald Trump in the election.
– He reaches out, even if he doesn’t get much attention in the media, says Frida Stranne, an expert on American politics.
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Robert F Kennedy Jr. continues to be a cloud of worry over the American election campaign.
In the past year, he has posed a clear threat to both Republicans and Democrats, as there were many voters who did not want to vote for either Joe Biden or Donald Trump in the election.
Before Joe Biden withdrew, Kennedy Jr. had between 15 and 17 percent in various opinion polls. Mainly, he was seen as stealing voters from the Democrats. He campaigned last year as a Democrat to challenge Biden as the party’s presidential nominee but chose to run as an independent.
Trump tried to lure him over
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full screenDonald Trump. Photo: Alex Brandon/AP
With Kamala Harris as the new presidential candidate, the situation has changed, not least because she got many Democratic voters to rally behind her. On the one hand, Kennedy Jr is now significantly lower in opinion polls and on the other hand he is now seen as a threat to Donald Trump, reports several American media.
According to Washington Post Today, Kennedy Jr. steals about three percent of the electorate, from both Democrats and Republicans. Among the independent candidates, he takes 13 percent – and it is above all voters who would otherwise vote for Donald Trump.
Donald Trump has tried to get him to withdraw and lure Kennedy Jr. over to his camp. Earlier this summer, Kennedy Jr. himself leaked a phone call in which Trump tried to persuade him.
– I would be happy if you do something, Trump can be heard saying in the clip before continuing:
– And I think it will be very good and very big for you. And we will win.
Donald Trump Jr., the presidential candidate’s son, has said there could be a good job for Kennedy Jr. in the Trump administration if he pulls out, writes the BBC.
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fullscreenRobert F Kennedy Jr. Photo: Hans Pennink / AP
“Don’t learn to drop out”
Frida Stranne, PhD in Peace and Development Research with a focus on American foreign and security policy, points out that everything is very unpredictable right now and that a lot can happen before the election in November.
– He had momentum as an alternative to Biden and Trump. That’s what he won a lot at.
But now his situation is significantly worse, she says. But she expects him to continue his election campaign all the way.
– He reaches out, even if he doesn’t get much attention in the media.
– It feels more likely that he will stay than that he would drop out, she says.
In that case, he can, just as both Ross Perot and Ralph Nader did in the 1990s and 2000s, take a few percent of the votes in November, says Frida Stranne.
– It can really matter in some state, she says.
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full screen Kamala Harris. Photo: Charles Rex Arbogast / AP
Political blunder
The same thing is noted by the Washington Post, which writes that the last two elections have been decided by one percent or less in the key states.
The paper also points out that Republicans hyped and celebrated Robert F Kennedy Jr last year, when he challenged Joe Biden. It now looks like a political blunder, they write.
– It will be very, very even, says Frida Stranne about this autumn’s election.