Robert F. Kennedy Jr. 2024 presidential campaign facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for President 2024 |
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| Campaign | 2024 U.S. presidential election 2024 Democratic primaries (until October 9, 2023) |
| Candidate | Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Environmental lawyer (for President) Nicole Shanahan Lawyer and technologist (for Vice President) |
| Affiliation | Independent Democratic Party (until October 9, 2023) |
| Announced | April 19, 2023 |
| Suspended | August 23, 2024 (partial) |
| Headquarters | Walpole, Massachusetts |
| Key people | Amaryllis Fox Kennedy (campaign manager) Dennis Kucinich (former campaign manager) Charles Eisenstein (senior advisor) John E. Sullivan (treasurer) Del Bigtree (communications director) Stefanie Spear (campaign press secretary) |
| Receipts | US$44,029,356.48 (April 30, 2024) |
| Slogan | Declare Your Independence Heal the Divide The Remedy Is Kennedy The America That Almost Was, and yet May Be America Strong |
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is an environmental lawyer who ran for president in the 2024 United States presidential election. He started his campaign on April 19, 2023. At first, he wanted to be the candidate for the Democratic Party.
However, on October 9, 2023, he decided to run as an independent candidate instead. This means he did not belong to a major political party. On March 26, 2024, Kennedy chose Nicole Shanahan to be his running mate for vice president.
Later, on August 23, 2024, Kennedy stopped his campaign. He then supported the campaign of former President Donald Trump. Kennedy also said he would remove his name from the ballot in ten states where the election was expected to be very close. His name would stay on the ballot in most other states.
Contents
Kennedy Family History in Politics
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Robert F. Kennedy Jr. comes from a famous political family. Several members of the Kennedy family have run for president before.
- His uncle, John F. Kennedy, became president in 1960. He was a Democrat.
- His father, also named Robert F. Kennedy, ran for president in 1968. Sadly, he was assassinated during his campaign.
- His uncle by marriage, Sargent Shriver, tried to get the Democratic nomination in 1976 but later dropped out.
- Another uncle, Ted Kennedy, ran for the nomination in 1980. He lost to the president at the time, Jimmy Carter.
Becoming an Independent Candidate
On September 29, 2023, news reports suggested that Kennedy was thinking about running as an independent. He had been running as a Democrat.
On October 9, 2023, Kennedy officially announced his decision. He confirmed he would continue his presidential campaign as an independent. He made this announcement at an event in Philadelphia.
Choosing a Vice President
On March 26, 2024, Kennedy announced that Nicole Shanahan would be his running mate. She is a lawyer and a philanthropist.
After this announcement, his campaign worked to get their names on the ballot in 19 states. In these states, a candidate needs a running mate to be listed on the ballot.
Before choosing Shanahan, Kennedy had considered other people. These included former U.S. Representative Tulsi Gabbard and professional football player Aaron Rodgers.
Ending the Campaign and Supporting Trump
In April 2023, there were talks about Kennedy possibly joining a ticket with Donald Trump. However, Kennedy said he would not do this. He believed that the policies of both Trump and President Biden had not worked well.
In January 2024, Kennedy confirmed that Trump's team had asked him about being vice president. Kennedy said he had declined the offer.
On August 23, Kennedy held a press conference in Phoenix, Arizona. He announced that he was stopping his campaign and would support Donald Trump. That same night, he spoke at a Trump rally in Glendale. Kennedy also removed his name from the ballot in Texas.
What Kennedy Believed In
Economy
When he started his campaign, Kennedy said he wanted to stop the "corrupt merger of state and corporate power." He believed this was creating a system where rich people got help from the government, but poor people faced harsh capitalism.
Kennedy wanted to help "small and medium businesses." He also aimed to break up very large banks and monopolies. He said that when there is a crisis, the government should help homeowners, people in debt, and small business owners.
He also mentioned that he would support "massive debt forgiveness" for student loans. He thought this would help people be more creative and rebuild the country.
Foreign Policy
Kennedy wanted to "end the proxy wars, bombing campaigns, covert operations, coups, paramilitaries." He felt that the Democratic Party had become "the party of war," and he blamed President Biden for this.
He believed that the U.S. military should have a much smaller presence in other countries. He said the country should "start unraveling the Empire" by closing many U.S. military bases around the world.
Health Care
Kennedy supported a single-payer health care system. In this system, the government would pay for health care for everyone. However, he also said that people who wanted private health insurance should still be able to have it. He thought a full single-payer system might be "politically unrealistic."
He did not want the government to take over the pharmaceutical industry. Instead, he focused on preventing drug companies from having too much control over rules and laws.
Kennedy also wanted to make sure that "alternative and holistic therapies" were available to everyone. He felt these therapies had been ignored because of the focus on traditional medicine.
Gun Rights and School Safety
Kennedy stated, "I'm not going to take people's guns away and I believe in gun control myself." He explained that he follows the Second Amendment as interpreted by the Supreme Court. This amendment protects the right to own guns.
See also
In Spanish: Campaña presidencial de Robert F. Kennedy Jr. de 2024 para niños
- 2024 Democratic Party presidential primaries
