RFK Jr’s clout: Use it or lose it

While the main election drama over the past few weeks has been about the shakeup on the Democratic ticket, the specter of an eccentric ex-Democrat continues to hang over the election.

Independent Robert F. Kennedy Jr. – anti-corporate crusader, vaccine skeptic, and frequent conspiracy theorist – polls at about 5%, the highest of any third-party candidate since Ross Perotin the 1990s. RFK’s numbers are particularly strong among Latinos (24%) and voters under 30 (10%.)

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RFK can’t win. But his endorsement could decide a tight election. RFK’s support in Pennsylvania and Michigan (5-6%) is larger than the likely margin of victory. Small wonder that Trump, whose voters are particularly enamored of Kennedy, recently sought his endorsement in private (or so he thought), and that the former president was angry when podcaster Joe Rogan appeared to endorse RFK Jr last week. Rogan almost immediately walked it back.

But RFK’s juice is waning. A wave of controversies – ranging from a worm eating his brain to a bizarre incident involving a dead bear – have hurt him. His favorability rating has been negative for months now. Although he made it onto the Texas ballot, New York booted him for using a bogus address. Other states may follow suit.

Meanwhile, fresh enthusiasm for Kamala Harris’ campaign may counteract the disillusionment that drives third-party interest. With less than three months to go before Election Day, RFK Jr. has to use his kingmaker’s power or lose it. Will he?