RFK Jr. Ditches Democrats To Pursue 2024 Presidential Bid As An Independent 

Update (1256ET):

As anticipated, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. withdrew from the Democratic primary to pursue a run as an independent presidential candidate in 2024.

“I’m here to declare himself an independent candidate for president of the United States. That’s not all. I’m here to join you in making a new declaration of independence for our entire nation. We declare independence from the corporations that have hijacked our government. And we declare independence from Wall Street, from Big Tech, from Big Pharma, from Big Ag, from the military contractors and their lobbyists. And we declare independence from the cynical elites who betray our hope and who amplify our divisions. And finally, we declare independence from the two political parties,” Kennedy told a crowd of supporters at Philadelphia’s Independence Mall this afternoon. 

.@RobertKennedyJr: “I’m here to declare himself an independent candidate for president of the United States. That’s not all.
“I’m here to join you in making a new declaration of independence for our entire nation. We declare independence from the corporations that have hijacked… pic.twitter.com/Ofpe7A3xkV

— Tom Elliott (@tomselliott) October 9, 2023

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Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is expected to announce Monday afternoon in Philadelphia that he will abandon his Democratic bid for president and run as an independent or third-party candidate. 

Kennedy’s campaign has teased this announcement since the beginning of the month. We noted on Oct. 1, “RFK Jr. Could Make Announcement On Run As Independent On Oct. 9.” 

On Sunday, Kennedy wrote on X: “I’m ready for tomorrow, are you? Catch my livestream from 12-2 pm.” Attached to the post was a video of the 69-year-old running up the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art (try that Biden), reenacting a scene from the 1976 film Rocky. 

I’m ready for tomorrow, are you? Catch my livestream from 12-2pm tomorrow:https://t.co/r40WRqz8zw pic.twitter.com/bSxVuNPL2U

— Robert F. Kennedy Jr (@RobertKennedyJr) October 9, 2023

Kennedy, who announced earlier this year he was running against 80-year-old Joe Biden for the Democratic nomination, has been polling around 14% in the latest Reuters/Ipsos survey, behind Trump at 40% and Biden at 38%. 

On Kennedy’s campaign website, his team stated, “Kennedy will lay out a path to the White House that involves a major shift in American politics. We invite you to witness history in the making, at the very spot where our founding fathers launched this nation in 1776 with the Declaration of Independence. On Monday, we come together again to reset the course of our nation.” 

CNN noted, “Biden’s allies so far have dismissed Kennedy’s primary campaign as unserious. Asked for comment on his potential independent run, a Democratic National Committee spokesman responded with an eye roll emoji.”

However, Tim Donner, the senior political analyst at Liberty Nation, said, “The walls are closing in on Joe Biden. As he persists in his campaign for a second term in the White House, the 46th president is facing challenges from every direction — right, left, and center.” 

Donner continued: 

“First, left-wing academic Cornel West entered the race for the Green Party, sure to siphon progressive votes from the incumbent. Then came the growing centrist threat posed by Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) and the well-funded, non-ideological No Labels party. And now, after being shunned and ostracized by a party once formed in the image of his slain father and uncle, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is set to make a “major announcement” today, with speculation rampant that he will abandon his primary challenge against Biden and run instead as a third-party candidate.” 

Kennedy’s role as an independent candidate could determine the general election. Polling data already suggests he would be one of the strongest third-party or independent candidates in decades – back to the years of Ross Perot.

Watch the live event here.