Who Are the RFK Jr. Voters?

[Celerity]

“He’s outspoken. As far as I know, he’s not crooked.”

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/25/us/politics/rfk-jr-voters.html

https://archive.is/4v8gH

A supporter of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. at his candidacy announcement in Boston last year.Credit...Sophie Park for The New York Times

Rosemary Pastrick thinks Americans were “brainwashed” into accepting the Covid vaccine. She regards both major political parties as corrupt. She is disillusioned with Donald Trump and Joe Biden. And she proudly supports Robert F. Kennedy Jr. “Trump is in all these problems,” said Pastrick, a 77-year-old who lives in Stanton, Mich. “He couldn’t stand losing. It was like he was on his own TV show and got fired. And then Biden — he’s not strong enough.” Kennedy, in her view, “tells the truth. He’s outspoken. As far as I know, he’s not crooked.” Asked what she would do if he were not on the ballot in the fall, she replied, “I would probably write him in.”

In a general election rematch between two familiar and unpopular major-party nominees, independent and third-party candidates, and their supporters, could take on exceptional significance in this year’s presidential contest. And of those contenders, no one these days is drawing as much attention — and inspiring as much angst — as Kennedy, who, with his independent bid, has had a strong showing in some national and state polls.

Kennedy questions

Kennedy, an environmental lawyer, is a leading vaccine skeptic and purveyor of conspiracy theories, as my colleague Anjali Huynh wrote last summer. He is slated to announce a running mate tomorrow in Oakland, Calif. My colleague Rebecca Davis O’Brien has reported that Nicole Shanahan — a Bay Area lawyer and investor who was once married to the Google co-founder Sergey Brin — is in the running as a top contender. Kennedy has also approached the N.F.L. quarterback Aaron Rodgers and the former Minnesota governor and professional wrestler Jesse Ventura.

Aside from his running mate, there are many more questions about Kennedy’s candidacy. Where will he get on the ballot? What happens to his standing as voters learn about his more divisive positions? Perhaps most urgently, who are his voters? “All of these current expressions of support for Kennedy are in one sense illuminating because they show dissatisfaction with Biden and Trump,” said Charles Franklin, the director of the Marquette University Law School Poll. “They’re not likely to be at all good predictors of the vote next fall.”

Kennedy voter demographics...................

snip

[MineralMan]

1. People who are not very bright.

[maxsolomon]

15. You've got to remember that these are just simple farmers.

These are people of the land. The common clay of the new West. You know... morons.

[Just_Vote_Dem]

17. But think they are. That's the horror. n/t

[AZSkiffyGeek]

2. My Fundie cousins are supporting him

Right-wing independents who are former TFG voters.

[Bluethroughu]

3. Voters? Who IS supporting his campaign?

Because it's not the voters.

His corruption is in the fact that he can not win, yet in a critical moment of our country's sovereignty against a fascist coup, he decides to run.

Get on the winning team and that is Biden/Harris!

[All Mixed Up]

4. I think a mix of both former Biden & Trump voters but he appears to hurt Biden way more.

In a Pennsylvania poll released today by Bloomberg/Morning Consult, Biden and Trump are tied 45/45 h2h.

But when Kennedy is thrown in, Trump takes a six-point lead 44-38-7.

Kennedy appears to only take one-point away from Trump and 7 from Biden.

That's pretty crushing.

[sop]

5. They're shortsighted voters who have little understanding of how our political system works.

[Mike Nelson]

6. Just guessing...

... people who like celebrity and gossip.

[Marigold]

7. First Fundraising Email

I just got my first fundraising email from him this morning.

DECLARE YOUR INDEPENDENCE

A democratic government is supposed to be of, by, and for the people. I’m sending you this email because I believe you agree with me.

Right now, I’m in the fight of my life. I’m in a fight for America. And I’m fighting for you.

That's why the "establishment" and Washington insiders strongly oppose my candidacy.

Because I’ve vowed, as President of the United States, to:

Make public institutions to serve the public.
Roll back the secrecy and make government transparent.
Protect whistleblowers and prosecute officials who abuse the public trust.
Open our institutions to real citizen involvement.
Restore integrity to the government.

To do this I will rein in the lobbyists, and shut the revolving door between government employees who retire in order to cash in on lucrative private sector jobs.

None of the other candidates can make a similar pledge. Because none of the other candidates have spent their careers fighting for transparency and honesty for the American people.

It’s time to restore trust. It’s time to restore the time-tested American values to our country.

If you love America, if you’re sick of the never-ending wars, if you want wealth for all, if you’re done with the lies in Washington . . .

Join me and DECLARE YOUR INDEPENDENCE.

Robert
F. Kennedy Jr.

P.S. This is the first of 3 emails that I want to send to you. Because real freedom, the liberty our founding fathers envisioned, is possible. But I need you on my team to make it a reality.

I have no idea how they got my email. Must be from the chip that was implanted when I got the covid vaccine. Sarcasm (don't know how to do the emoji). I am a registered democrat in NH. I am worried that he will sway just enough voters to swing this election to Trump. We don't have the luxury this time for the perfect to be the enemy of the good.

[Cha]

16. RFK jr is a 3rd Party Anti Vax RF, Conspiracy Theorist, Asshole.

His own Family Reject his Conspiracies .

RFK Jr.’s Family Denounces His ‘Dangerous’ Independent Presidential Bid—Just Minutes After Campaign Launch

https://www.forbes.com/sites/saradorn/2023/10/09/rfk-jrs-family-denounces-his-dangerous-independent-presidential-bid-just-minutes-after-campaign-launch/?sh=31be958669fb

[Bobstandard]

8. Chiropractors

I have a friend who is a very good chiropractor.. He’s totally in on JFK Jr. That friend lives in another state, so I have a different chiropractor for treatments. During a recent visit he brought up JFK Jr. and went on to extol his virtues.

The main virtue both guys cite is his anti vaccination stance. It goes without saying that neither chiropractor is vaxed. Both have had covid. Since his covid illness my chiropractor pal has had a series of life threatening infections and a heart attack. He argues that they aren’t related. He also argues that the doctors who have repeatedly saved his life are pathetically brainwashed by the drug companies—or something.

The chiropractor who treats me-or used to-has reduced his hours because he’s fatigued all the time. I haven’t spoken to him about it because once I learned he wasn’’t vaxed I stopped seeing him. I ran into his receptionist at the store recently and she told me about his fatigue, how he’s treating it with diet and herbs and some weird laser treatment. He suspects he has lime disease, but hasn’t seen a doctor about it.

So, you wonder who supports JFK Jr.? It’s folks like these.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

19. Are you confused (3 cites) about JFK Jr, who died in 1999?

[Bobstandard]

21. Thank you for your kind correction

[walkingman]

9. I don't understand the goal? It doesn't make sense?

[jcgoldie]

10. from what I've seen

Gun humpers who can't bring themselves to support Trump again.

[JohnSJ]

11. In other words, who are they, dumb asses.

[NanaCat]

12. The Left does have some idiots in the woodpile

Especially out there on the fringes by the dividing line from the Q-Anon crowd.

[WarGamer]

13. anecdotal observations from my community...

Disgruntled progressives...

A few folks who jumped on the Trump bandwagon in 2015/16

And the under 30 crew...

[MorbidButterflyTat]

14. It's not about voters

It's about the grift.

[Tree Lady]

18. I heard a group of women talking

in Lithia park, in Ashland, OR in the fall about how much they liked him and were going to campaign for him. They were my age in 60's. I have no idea where they were politically. I heard them talk a few min then walk by.

I figured they were antivaxers, there seemed to be a lot of progressives from that area not into the vaccine.

Those are the same kind of people too far left to vote for Joe.

I am concerned about the democrats that he might pick off. This will be first election after covid for president and hopefully antivaxers won't be a big part of it. There were many on the left, people who were into supplements, going to back doctors, natural healthcare. I used to go to a natural path doc before medicare who doesn't cover them like Blue Cross did. But I thought it over and took all the vaccines. I was never all in sort of did both, still do.

Has there ever been a poll after covid asking people if they changed political party from it?

[dawg]

20. We need to focus on the opportunity RFK, Jr. provides.

If we can effectively inform our likely voters about Kennedy's many disqualifications - inoculate them from falling for him, if you will - then his candidacy could end up working in our favor.

Likewise, there is probably also an opportunity to "troll" some likely Trump voters into pulling the lever for RFK, Jr. instead.

After all, Trump did take the vaccine.

His blood isn't pure.