Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s unknown to boost his presidential campaign

Last week, on his social networks, the independent candidate for the US presidential election, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. sounded the trumpets to warn the public of the imminent announcement of news that would “destabilize the political establishment” of the United States. Thus he promised In a video.

On Tuesday, from California, the 1963 assassination of President John F. Kennedy's son-in-law finally ended the suspense and made his announcement by naming his running mate on the road to the White House: Silicon Valley attorney Nicole Shanahan. An announcement that has been expected for days, and thereby the scion of a famous American family, seeks to see himself a little more in a political landscape largely occupied by the two expected candidates from the Democratic and Republican camps, Joe Biden and Donald Trump. His chances of winning are slim.

“In the United States, presidential candidates typically choose their vice presidential running mate much later in the election year,” said John J. Pitney says in an interview. “But like any other independent candidate, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. faces enormous challenges, and he will have to do extraordinary things to gain attention. »

“It's about what you call a storm in a glass of water,” said political scientist John Cluvarius, coining the expression in French. Duty at the University of Massachusetts at Lowell. “Kennedy needed a celebrity to get the attention he wanted, but predictably he couldn't get one, because most celebrities don't want to run for office, certainly not this Kennedy vice president. . . .

Nicole Shanahan, 38, is a political neophyte who made her mark on America's West Coast as a patent attorney and later as a tech investor and philanthropist. Since 2013, he has been a regular contributor to Democratic campaign funds, contributing $25,000 to Joe Biden's campaign in 2020. Last February, his generosity extended to his new campaign partner, who paid $4 million to air one of these campaign ads during the Super Bowl.

The announcement angered many members of the Kennedy family Because it copies through images and sound John F. An ad that Kennedy used to introduce himself to voters in 1960. The independent candidate has become the black sheep of the clan, according to an elite who claim he is not his own, because of his espousal of conspiracy theories that denounce both vaccination and political corruption. These themes were the driving forces of his campaign.

In the last days, Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s campaign team released some names of potential candidates who are more or less on the fringes of American politics, including New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers or the former Minnesota governor. and former professional wrestler Jesse Ventura. The Independent also reportedly tracked Scott Brown, a former Republican senator from Massachusetts, Tricia Lindsey, an attorney who fought the vaccine mandate amid the Covid-19 pandemic, and Tulsi Gabbard, a former Hawaii representative who opposed Joe Biden during the 2020 Democratic primary. Before leaving the party and becoming an independent.

By falling back M^me Shanahan, the ex-wife of Google co-founder Sergey Brin – they divorced in 2022 – and a close friend of billionaire Elon Musk, has come out to put the rumors to rest. to Washington.

To date, the independent candidate who established himself as a top environmental advocate before succumbing to the lure of intrigue has won the right to run in Utah. His campaign team says it has collected the signatures needed to put his name on the ballot in several key states, including Arizona, Nevada and Georgia, even though his registration has not been officially certified by election officials. In more than half of the states, presidential candidates must have chosen a vice president to appear on the ballot next November.

A few radical ideas and, above all, Robert F., who campaigned on a traditional family name in America. Kennedy Jr. will disappear, according to polls, on an uncertain path eight months before the presidential election. Both Republicans and Democrats.

In early March, a survey Fox News This gave the independent candidate 13% of voting intentions nationally, with support drawn equally from Joe Biden and Donald Trump's pool of potential voters.

last week, CNN A study by Social Science Research Solutions revealed the results of the key states of Michigan and Pennsylvania, where Kennedy's presence could favor Donald Trump's victory, potentially costing Joe Biden the presidency.

However, “third-party candidates always do better in the polls than they do on Election Day,” notes Stephen Farnsworth, associate professor of political science at the University of Mary Washington in Virginia. He assured that the announcement of the nomination of M^me As with nearly all elections in America, Shanahan is not expected to change the dynamics of this race, which pits candidates from the two dominant parties against each other.

“Voters like the idea of ​​having more choice, but ultimately they're always afraid to avoid voting for Democrats or Republicans for a third party,” he adds. People who don't like Joe Biden and people who don't like Donald Trump have a strong sense that they will do anything to keep the candidate they hate from winning. »

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