RNC Slams RFK Jr.’s Move to Campaign as Independent: ‘Typical Elitist Liberal’ 

The Republican National Committee (RNC) slammed Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for dropping his 2024 Democrat primary bid in favor of running as an independent candidate.

In a scathing statement on Monday, RNC chairwoman Ronna McDaniel accused Kennedy of being a “typical elitist liberal” who will not be able to gaslight the American people into forgetting his far-left record.

“Make no mistake – a Democrat in Independent’s clothing is still a Democrat. RFK Jr. cannot hide from his record of endorsing Hillary, supporting the Green New Deal, fighting against the Keystone Pipeline, and praising AOC’s tax hikes – he is your typical elitist liberal and voters won’t be fooled,” McDaniel said.

“American families deserve commonsense leadership that will return America’s energy independence, stop Bidenflation, secure our border, and get our country back on track, which is why our Republican nominee will be the next President of the United States,” she continued.

The RNC also published an extensive record of Kennedy railing against fossil fuels and supporting Democrats and their extreme agenda:

RFK Jr. cannot hide from his record of endorsing Hillary, supporting the Green New Deal, fighting against the Keystone Pipeline, and praising AOC’s tax hikes – he is your typical liberal and voters won’t be fooled. pic.twitter.com/eRLOwQ22bG

— Ronna McDaniel (@GOPChairwoman) October 9, 2023

Kennedy announced his independent campaign on Monday in front of hundreds of supporters gathered at Philadelphia’s Independence Mall.

“I’m here to declare myself an independent candidate for president of the United States,” he told supporters. “But that’s not all − I’m here to join you in making a new Declaration of Independence for our entire nation.”

“I’ve come here today to declare our independence from the tyranny of corruption which robs us of affordable lives, our belief in the future and our respect for each other. But to do that I must first declare my own independence. Independence from the Democratic Party,” he added.

A Kennedy campaign insider had previously said that Kennedy “feels that the DNC is changing the rules to exclude his candidacy, so an independent run is the only way to go”:

Join Me For A Historic Announcement https://t.co/O8a3TDaPus

— Robert F. Kennedy Jr (@RobertKennedyJr) October 9, 2023

As Breitbart News reported, President Joe Biden has a large polling advantage over Kennedy, but Kennedy has surged in early primary states such as South Carolina. However, Democrat operatives are fearful that an independent run by Kennedy would siphon votes away from Biden’s base.

Matt Bennett, cofounder of Third Way, a Democrat group trying to prevent a third-party ticket, said it “would be very bad” if Kennedy ran as a third-party candidate.

“We’ve been very clear that third parties in close elections can be very dangerous and would almost certainly hurt the president,” Bennett told the New York Times. “That would be true of a No Labels candidate and it would be true of RFK.”