Christian Smith
(NewsNation) – As the race for president continues, independent Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is attracting voters from both sides of the aisle, posing a potential threat to both other candidates.
Initially, Kennedy entered the race as a Democrat, but began running as an independent. By challenging both President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump, he has attracted voters who are not looking for a repeat of 2020.
Attract voters from both sides
Both campaigns are paying close attention to what Kennedy is doing because they fear he will take votes away from them, especially in critical states where the margin of victory could be small.
Earlier in the year, Trump supporters said they would consider supporting Kennedy if Trump failed to win the GOP nomination because they felt he aligned with them more than other Republican primary challengers.
Other voters, including those on the left, expressed concern about Biden’s age. The president has also lost support from younger voters and black voters over his handling of the war in Gaza.
Kennedy has received criticism for some of his most controversial positions, including his anti-vaccine stance and support for the inclusion of unproven holistic and alternative therapies in medicine.
His views do not strictly align with either party, as he shows support for traditionally Democratic positions, such as support for gun control, as well as Republican ones, such as building a border wall.
Trump and Biden continue to lead
As of now, Trump and Biden remain the leaders, with Trump voting with 41.6%, Biden with 41.1% and Kennedy with 7.2%, based on recent polling averages.
But as Kennedy continues his push to get on the ballot in all 50 states and Washington, D.C., he is hopeful he may have a real shot at the presidency.
He is also working to be included in the first of two presidential debates, scheduled for June 27. Kennedy said he is in discussions with the debate host, who says Trump and Biden are currently the only two candidates who meet the criteria.
Kennedy disagrees.
“There’s an FEC rule that says you can’t make a deal to keep one of the candidates off the stage,” he said at a rally in Denver, Colorado. “Therefore, I am confident that CNN will fulfill its commitment to allow everyone who qualifies against these criteria to take the stage.”
The network said that to participate, candidates must have enough votes to obtain 270 electoral votes and obtain at least 15% of the vote in four separate national polls that meet CNN’s reporting standards by June 20.
Kennedy called Biden a “spoiler” for his campaign and said neither Trump nor Biden would unite the country.
