Candidate Highlight: RFK Jr
And a handy map that will show you primary dates!
Campaign Updates
On Tuesday, January 16, 2024 (right after I sent out my last post), Former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson (R) suspended his campaign. He did not endorse anyone, but he had previously been critical of Donald Trump, saying to NBC News in 2023 “If anyone should drop out, it should be Donald Trump.” 1 Upon hearing about Hutchinson’s withdrawal from the primary, DNC Press Secretary Sarafina Chitika said in a statement “this news comes as a shock to those of us who could’ve sworn he had already dropped out.” Conservative and Liberal leaders alike criticized Chitika for her statement. Democratic candidate Dean Phillips called it “disrespectful…mean-spirited…unnecessary…obnoxious,” while former Republican Illinois Representative Adam Kinzinger called the statement “stupid and dumb.” President Biden had his chief of staff Jeff Zients call Hutchinson personally to apologize for Chitika’s statement.2 It is nice to see a little bit of civility coming out of both parties on this issue, and I have my fingers crossed that the civility will continue.
Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.
Party: Independent
Declared Candidacy: April 5, 2023 as a Democrat; October 9, 2023 as an Independent.
Website: https://www.kennedy24.com/
Slogan: Declare Your Independence
Bio:
Bobby Kennedy, Jr. was born January 17,1954 to Bobby and Ethel Kennedy. He is a nephew of President John F. Kennedy and Senator Ted Kennedy (D-MA). Though his family has deep ties to the Democratic Party, RFK Jr. officially separated from the party in October of 2023, when he decided to run as an Independent.
His public service career began in 1985 when he became an attorney for the environmental nonprofit RiverKeeper. He also founded the clean water nonprofit WaterKeeper Alliance and served as its President for 21 years. His career has focused heavily on environmental policy and protection, including helping the indigenous peoples of the United States, Canada, and Latin America protect natural heritage sites and helping farmers, small communities, and others oppose large corporations in the United States. In 2001, he was arrested for protesting US military testing in the fishing waters of Puerto Rico and served 30 days in jail. (As we know from a previous post, serving time in prison does not preclude one from becoming President of the United States.) This effort helped end that testing. In 2013, he was arrested in front of the White House with his son Conor (who - side note - briefly dated Taylor Swift) for protesting the Keystone Pipeline. According to his website, he has secured billions of dollars for people whose communities have been damaged by large corporations. There’s no word on whether or not T-Swift supports her ex-boyfriend’s father for President.
Kennedy is a devoted supporter of union rights, lobbied successfully against putting mercury in childhood vaccines, and is an avid outdoorsman. Fun fact: he is a master falconer and currently owns four dogs and two giant tortoises, which he intends to bring to the White House should he be elected. 3 He is the author of several books including The Riverkeepers, American Values: Lessons I Learned from My Family, The Real Anthony Fauci, and A Letter to Liberals. He has been married to actress Cheryl Hines since 2014 and has 7 children and two grandchildren.
A Chart for You
If you are interested in a graphic showing when all the state and territory primaries are, I made this for you! Enjoy!
