RFK Jr. fails to gain traction despite Biden’s disastrous week

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. failed to gain noticeable traction following the catastrophic fallout from President Biden’s debate against former President Trump.

Biden’s widely criticized performance in Atlanta gave Kennedy a potential entry point as he seeks to win voter support from both major candidates for his third-party presidential bid.

But as bad as things have been for Biden, Kennedy also faces challenges. He did not have much success in the polls this week and was the subject of a story in Vanity Fair that outlined allegations of sexual assault, which he did not deny.

“If RFK Jr. were a truly viable candidate, he would be making a credible effort to supplant Biden as the main alternative to Trump,” said Kyle Kondik, election analyst and editor-in-chief of forecasting group Sabato’s Crystal Ball. “Clearly that’s not happening at all, and to the extent that it’s making news, it’s bad news.”

Another example of bad news for Kennedy came on Friday, when he posted online that he “will not take sides” in the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. Kennedy soon clarified that he was responding to a report on CBS’s “60 Minutes.” which raised speculation about possible Saudi involvement in the al Qaeda attacks, but the remarks drew attention to perceived echoes of long-standing conspiracy theories about 9/11.

Democrats have long criticized Kennedy over a range of conspiracy theories, from spreading widely debunked claims about the harmful effects of vaccines and the COVID-19 pandemic to linking wifi to cancer. And party members were quick to seize on the candidate’s latest remarks.

Brandon Weathersby, who oversees presidential campaign communications at American Bridge 21st Century, a Democratic super PAC, suggested that Kennedy was implicating the U.S. government in the 9/11 attacks, adding that “there are few conspiracy theories that RFK Jr. . ”

“Whether it’s about Americans dying at the hands of a terrorist attack or a global pandemic, RFK Jr. will repeat whatever conspiracy theory he thinks will bring him attention and money,” Weathersby said. “His rhetoric is as harmful as it is offensive and he cannot lead the country as president.”

It’s the latest indication that even as Biden’s fate remains in limbo, Kennedy continues to struggle in his efforts to become a truly viable candidate.

A New York Times/Siena College poll released in the days following the Atlanta debate showed Kennedy with 8% support in the race, which is also where he stands in a set of polls from The Hill and Decision Desk HQ (DDHQ).

“Think about the horrible week Biden has had,” Kondik said. “But RFK [Jr.] does not appear to be benefiting in any way, and certainly no genuine Democrat is considering supporting RFK Jr. as an alternative to the Democratic nominee.”

Democrats are undecided whether they think Biden should continue to seek a second term in the White House; three House lawmakers called on him to resign. These calls come as longtime strategists, pollsters and even some of his former 2020 opponents have also urged the 81-year-old incumbent to step down.

In addition to Biden, Democrats are also skeptical that Vice President Harris can defeat Trump in the swing states that will determine the outcome. Although a recent CNN poll shows Harris running against Trump by a tighter margin than Biden, she is also trailing Trump in most battleground polls.

But as the Democrats’ disarray manifests itself publicly, Kennedy also appears to be in trouble. The bad press didn’t help him create a contrast between Biden’s age issues and Trump’s convicted crime.

Some prominent voices among the party faithful have become particularly fearful that Kennedy – a member of his team as recently as October – could spoil the election, which many fear will result in a second Trump victory. But, as demonstrated this week, Kennedy has potential responsibilities of his own.

“I said that from the beginning. I’m not a church kid,” Kennedy said in an appearance on the “Breaking Points” YouTube series about the Vanity Fair article, which said he inappropriately groped a woman who babysat for him. “I had a very, very undisciplined youth. I said in my announcement speech that I have… so many skeletons in my closet, that if everyone could vote, I could run for king of the world.”

Kennedy did not expand on the sexual assault allegation and called the article “a lot of garbage.”

Responses like this, as well as his failure to make notable gains in the polls, have reassured some Democrats.

“What we’ve seen in recent weeks is exactly what many of us have been saying for some time: The more voters hear about Kennedy, the less they’ll like him,” said Doug Gordon, a Democratic strategist.

“When a graphic, disturbing photo comes out of you eating a dog and it’s not even the worst story about you that week, that’s not a good week,” Gordon said, referring to a separate part of the article that showed Kennedy appearing to eating an animal carcass, which Vanity Fair reported was apparently a dog. Kennedy denied the accusation, insisting that it was a goat and that the photo had been taken while he was in Patagonia.

Kennedy’s standing with the public is not where it should be for a serious candidate with about four months to go until Election Day, experts say. He fell short of 15 percent in the four polls that CNN set as the debate threshold, meaning he was unable to appear on stage with Biden and Trump. And it’s unclear whether he will appear on most ballots in November.

According to his campaign website’s vote tracker, Kennedy still needs about two dozen states before reaching his goal of 50 states, and most secretaries of state have yet to certify their proposals. Hill/DDHQ confirmed that he voted in six states.

“While the presidential race is on [a] At a critical and fluid moment when it comes to Trump and Biden, one truth remains: Kennedy has no path to victory,” Gordon said. “And as this week has proven, he has a lot from his past that goes beyond disqualification.”

This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story