Robert Kennedy Jr to drop out of US Presidential Election, 'will help Kamala Harris,' says prediction expert
Kennedy, popularly called RFK, said that he would address the media on Friday amid reports of him ending his Presidential campaign. The son of liberal icon Robert F. Kennedy, RFK was polling at 8.7 percent in a nationwide poll by The Hill this week.
In a surprising move, Independent Presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is reportedly dropping out of the US Presidential Election scheduled for November 2024. Kennedy, popularly called RFK, said that he would address the media on Friday amid reports of him ending his Presidential campaign.
CREDIT: AP
"Independent Presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will address the nation live on Friday about the present historical moment and his path forward," read a brief statement from RFK Jr.'s campaign.
I am going to address the nation this Friday.https://t.co/BqaMNq0hKn pic.twitter.com/N31edn01ki
¡ª Robert F. Kennedy Jr (@RobertKennedyJr) August 21, 2024
Who is Robert F. Kennedy Jr?
The son of liberal icon Robert F. Kennedy, RFK was polling at 8.7 percent in a nationwide poll by The Hill this week. Coming from the family of former US President John F. Kennedy, RFK, who is also an environmental lawyer, was expected to split anti-Trump votes in some key swing states if he had continued in the race.
CREDIT: REUTERS
Why he couldn't get much support
Initially, Kennedy had received support from independents, youth, and those with low trust in traditional American politics. However, despite his family legacy, his support for some conspiracy theories and anti-vaccine stances resulted in his campaign struggling to gain traction with a larger voter base.
After dropping out of the Presidential election, RFK is expected to endorse Republican candidate Donald Trump. But election experts say RFK quitting the race could end up helping Democratic candidate Kamala Harris.
CREDIT: AP
'Will help Harris campaign'
'Political Nostradamus' and 'Prediction Professor,' Allan Lichtman, who has correctly predicted nearly every presidential race since 1984, suggested that Kennedy's exit would help Harris' campaign.
Also read: Historian who predicted every election since 1984 picks Kamala Harris to win
Lichtman, who uses a formula he developed called the "Keys to the White House," was asked if, according to his election prediction system, Kennedy dropping out and endorsing former President Donald Trump would help Harris, to which he replied: "Absolutely correct."
"[Kennedy's] endorsement of Trump has nothing to do with the keys¡ª[it] doesn't turn a key one way or the other."
American University
Lichtman also noted that he hasn't definitively called [the "third party"] key but said, "it certainly doesn't look like [Kennedy] is going to rebound."
Lichtman to make final prediction on US Presidential election
Last month, Lichtman, in his initial prediction, picked Harris to be the winner of the US Presidential Election. Lichtman has hinted that he will make his final prediction on who will win the US Presidential Election on September 2.
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Bobins Abraham is the Assistant News Editor at Indiatimes. He has more than twelve years of experience in TV and digital journalism. An avid student of history and geopolitics, he is a conservationist and environmentalist at heart. He writes on environment, sustainability, human-animal conflict and more.
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