Independent Presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy is considering dropping out of the race and backing Donald Trump. Mr. Kennedy’s running mate, Nicole Shanahan, exposed the plan during a recent interview and said they might take the drastic step because they believe staying in the contest is helping Kamala Harris.
Shanahan said that she and Kennedy were examining two options. The first is to carry on and form a new party, and the other is to “walk away right now and join forces with Donald Trump.” The attorney also stated that she has more in common with Trump and trusts him to run the country far more than Harris, but she admitted that her campaign’s next step was “not an easy decision.”
Mr. Kennedy reportedly met with Trump immediately before the Republican National Convention in July. He later took to Twitter to confirm the meeting and said the main topic of discussion was “national unity,” adding that he would also reach out to Democrats for the same reason. When he subsequently attempted to contact Kamala Harris, she rejected the offer, prompting him to launch a ferocious attack on the Vice President and promise to “defeat her” in November. Reports indicated that he offered to throw his weight behind Harris in exchange for a role in her administration, but he denied this.
Polling analysis suggests that Kennedy and Shanahan are correct in their assessment and that their withdrawal from the Presidential race would help Trump and harm Harris. In a recent New York Times/Siena College survey, 41% of Kennedy supporters said they would back Donald Trump, whereas only 27% said the same about Vice President Harris. A further 33% said they were undecided on how they would vote if Kennedy decided to withdraw.
A second poll by Emerson College produced similar results. In that survey, 64% said they would back Trump if Kennedy were not on the ballot, compared to 36% who would support Kamala Harris.
Mr. Kennedy initially sought to run for President as a Democrat but left the party in fury when it would not allow challengers to Joe Biden. He said the party had transformed into one of censorship and bullying.
