The 2024 Presidential election is almost certainly going to be a rematch between Donald Trump and Joe Biden. However, while both Trump and Biden won their respective primaries relatively easily, they are easily some of the most unpopular Presidential candidates to date. With both having unfavorable ratings over 50 percent, it is clear voters are looking for another option. This apathy has inevitably led to voters looking for other options in the form of third party candidates. This movement has led to the surge of independent candidate Robert F Kennedy Jr, who is currently polling at an impressive 11 percent. In this blog, we will break down how Kennedy got this popular and if he can keep up his momentum going into November.
Robert Kennedy has been in the spotlight for a long time. Not only does he come from a long line of politicians, but he also rose to fame because of his opposition to vaccination and his support for vaccine related conspiracy theories. However, unlike many controversial figures who became famous because of fringe views on one or two issues, Kennedy has talked about many of his other political positions. The interesting thing about his platform is that it doesn’t really fit into either party, as he simultaneously supports a ban on abortion, gun control, and foreign isolationism. It seems with his unorthodox set of policies he has found a niche in the American electorate. But now for the important question: Can he keep it up?
In my opinion, the short answer is no. America is in a polarizing time, and most people simply won’t vote for anyone whose issues don’t strictly fall into either of the two parties. Furthermore, the general population has not heard about Kennedy’s views, and a large part of his popularity instead comes from his name. All in all, my take is that as more and more Americans get to know Kennedy, they will flock away from independents and turn to either of the two major parties, continuing the status quo.