Robert F. Kennedy Jr. filed paperwork Wednesday to run for president in the Democratic primary, according to a statement of candidacy.
Kennedy will challenge President Joe Biden in the 2024 presidential race, who has not officially announced his bid for re-election, the Associated Press reported. He launched a fundraising website in March hinting at running for president with the promise of ending “the corrupt merger between state and corporate power.”
“Help me decide whether to run for President. Visit TeamKennedy.com to volunteer or contribute. If it looks like I can raise the money and mobilize enough people to win, I’ll jump in the race,” he wrote last month. “If I run, my top priority will be to end the corrupt merger between state and corporate power that has ruined our economy, shattered the middle class, polluted our landscapes and waters, poisoned our children, and robbed us of our values and freedoms. Together we can restore America’s democracy.”
Help me decide whether to run for President. Visit https://t.co/EX83yh9O4O to volunteer or contribute. If it looks like I can raise the money and mobilize enough people to win, I’ll jump in the race. If I run, my top priority will be to end the corrupt https://t.co/ujEHehub9T…
— Robert F. Kennedy Jr (@RobertKennedyJr) March 10, 2023
The 69-year-old is the son of former U.S. Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, who ran for president in 1968 before his assassination after a campaign speech in June of that year. He is also the nephew of former President John F. Kennedy.
Kennedy is the founder of the anti-vaccine charity, Children’s Health Defense, which has linked vaccinations to children developing autism, according to its website. He released a book, “The Real Anthony Fauci” that accused the White House senior medical advisor of participating in “a historic coup d’etat against Western democracy” and was a strong opponent of the COVID vaccine during the pandemic, the AP reported. Instagram banned Kennedy in February 2021 from the platform after vocally questioning the vaccine. (RELATED: Trump Meets With Vaccine Skeptic Robert Kennedy Jr)
Kennedy became the second Democratic candidate to announce his presidential bid after former Democratic presidential candidate Marianne Williamson launched her candidacy in March.