WEST DES MOINES — Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was formally nominated as a candidate for president in Iowa on Saturday, as hundreds of his supporters gathered in West Des Moines to hear the independent candidate speak.
The campaign event functioned as a nominating convention for the “We the People Party,” the moniker Kennedy’s campaign is using in several states to achieve ballot access.
Kennedy urged the people gathered at the rally to abandon the two major presidential candidates. He cast himself as a way to unite a divided American electorate and address political polarization.
“Neither of these presidents is capable of ending the polarization, which is also toxic and existential for our country,” he said. “We don’t know how it’s going to end … unless we take responsibility today for ending that polarization.”
The son of former U.S. Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy and nephew of former President John F. Kennedy, Kennedy has launched an independent presidential campaign after running an unsuccessful primary challenge to President Joe Biden. Last month he selected Silicon Valley attorney Nicole Shanahan as his running mate.
Kennedy had a career as an environmental lawyer and rose to prominence, in part, promoting conspiracy theories about vaccines and public health. He took aim at pharmaceutical companies, large financial corporations and political leaders — whom he considers part of a corrupt political system.
While the “We the People Party” is not legally a political party in Iowa, the state allows “non-party-political-organizations” to nominate candidates for president via convention. The organization must have 500 residents present to vote for a presidential and vice presidential candidate. The campaign had 686 eligible electors sign in on Saturday, an official said.
Kennedy described Republican former president Donald Trump and Democratic President Joe Biden as aligned on issues of federal spending, public health and military action. He said the two major parties differ only on “culture war issues.”
“None of them are actually the issues that are existential for our country,” he said. “The issues that are important if we want to see the survival of our country, if we want to see prosperity for our children, if we want to see the moral authority of our nation restored.”
Third party candidates have historically fared poorly in presidential elections, but Kennedy said he believes this is the year a third-party candidate can win the election, capitalizing on voters’ dissatisfaction with both Biden and Trump. Polling on Kennedy’s support is spotty, but he has lodged 10% to 15% of support in some recent national polls, according to FiveThirtyEight, while other polls have him in the low single digits.
Biden’s campaign and Democrats have begun taking measures to weaken Kennedy over concerns that he could potentially take vital votes away from the president in key battleground states. The Democratic National Committee hired a team of lawyers to monitor Kennedy’s ballot access efforts, USA Today reported.
Trump has suggested Kennedy would be a boost to his electoral chances and take votes away from Biden, saying in a Truth Social post this week Kennedy is “great for MAGA.” Trump’s campaign has supported Kennedy’s efforts to get on state ballots.
Kennedy said he is confident he will get on the ballot in all 50 states.
“People want a candidate that they believe in, that they think is going to change some things, some of the downward trends in our country,” he said. “And I don’t think either of those candidates offers that. People don’t want to vote for them.”
Republican Party of Iowa Chair Jeff Kaufmann said in a statement on Friday that Kennedy was a "distraction" and that Trump offers more solutions for Iowa voters.
"(Kennedy is) peddling his toxic conspiracy theories instead of speaking to the problems facing Americans caused by the Biden Administration," Kaufmann said. "Iowans want solutions, not distractions. President Trump will deliver on his promises to secure the border, fix the economy, and restore America's standing across the globe."
Kennedy’s fans at the event echoed his concerns, saying they are dissatisfied with the major political parties and hoping he can deliver a shakeup to what they see as a broken political system.
Young said he did not vote for Trump or Biden in 2020, and he would not support either of them this year regardless of Kennedy’s ballot access.
“It’s not just a Republican or a Democrat problem. It’s obviously across the board,” he said. “Our elected officials are maybe just a little out of touch, so it would be great to have a third party.”
Mark and Julia Seaton, of Waukee, also said they would not vote for Trump or Biden in November. The Seatons both voted for Trump in 2020 and 2016, they said, but Julia said she would not cast a vote if there was not a third party option this year.
Mark Seaton was dubious that Kennedy could get enough support to win the election this year, but he said he could set a trend for a viable third-party candidate in the future.
“I’m very down on the whole political system,” Mark Seaton said. “Hopefully an independent candidate can become a viable candidate, and we have actually three viable candidates for president. Historically that’s not the case. We’re stuck with Biden and Trump running.”
Audience members react as they listen to Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. speak during a campaign event, Saturday, April 13, 2024, in West Des Moines, Iowa.
Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. speaks to supporters during a campaign event, Saturday, April 13, 2024, in West Des Moines, Iowa.