MIAMI– Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is holding talks with vice presidential candidates as he nears the time to announce his running mate for his independent presidential bid.
Kennedy told The New York Times that NFL quarterback Aaron Rodgers and former Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura top his list. Campaign spokeswoman Stefanie Spear confirmed the Times report and said there are other names on the list.
After originally competing as a Democrat and being sidelined by that Party’s National Committee, last year he redirected his efforts toward an independent candidacy, which scared Joe Biden’s campaign quite a bit.
From the beginning of his candidacy, Kennedy faced rejection from the Democratic elite for his anti-COVID-19 vaccine positions and for his marked differences with Joe Biden, whom he denounced for hindering and removing him from his race for the White House. Kennedy Jr. ultimately decided to run as an independent candidate.
Kennedy, a scion of one of the most prominent political families in the United States, has focused on trying to appear on the ballot, an expensive and lengthy process that, he has said, will require him to collect more than a million signatures in a state effort. by state.
Many states require independent candidates to name a running mate before they can apply to appear on the ballot, a factor that increases pressure on Kennedy to make an election. Major party candidates typically do not elect their vice presidents until their respective summer political conventions approach.
Kennedy is a lawyer and environmental activist who has become a leading figure in the movement that rejects the scientific consensus around vaccines and an outspoken critic of the public health system.
After originally running as a Democrat, he refocused his efforts on running as an independent last year, spooking loyalists of both Donald Trump and Joe Biden who fear he will attract supporters who would otherwise support one of the candidates. the main parties.
Rodgers, a longtime Green Bay Packers quarterback who now plays for the New York Jets, shares Kennedy’s distrust of vaccine mandates and, like Kennedy, is a regular participant in anti-establishment podcasts. Ventura, a former professional wrestler, surprised observers when he won the Minnesota gubernatorial election as an independent candidate in 1998.
Source: With information from AP.
