One out of four US voters prefer Robert Kennedy Jr. over Biden or Trump

NPR reported that, with less than a year remaining for the US Presidential Election, third-party candidate Robert Kennedy Jr. is polling higher than expected, causing concern among the Democratic Party.

Kennedy’s presidential chances might be a long shot, but the BBC reports that his run could draw votes that might affect the outcome of a close presidential election.

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A survey conducted by The New York Times in November shows the nephew of JFK polling 25% of the vote in a hypothetical three-man race between him, Donald Trump, or Joe Biden.

More interesting, according to a poll conducted by Quinnipiac University and cited by Vanity Fair, the younger Kennedy would get the support of 38% of the voters between the ages of 18 to 34, beating both Biden (32%) and Trump (27%).

However, who is exactly Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and why are his views so controversial and concerning?

On October 2023, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced he would run as an Independent in the 2024 US presidential election, causing his rejection from the Democratic Party.

Earlier in April, the nephew of John F. Kennedy tried to challenge Joe Biden for the Democratic bid, despite lacking support from the Democratic Party leadership.

“Instead of two parties we have this kind of uniparty, a two-headed monster that's constantly bickering with itself as it leads us all over a cliff,” RFK Jr. told to a crowd, as quoted by the BBC.

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According to Business Insider, several members of the Kennedy clan have distanced themselves from Robert J. Kennedy, Jr. and his views.

But who is Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and what makes him such a polarizing figure?

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was born on January 17, 1954. He’s the son of Robert F. Kennedy and nephew of US President John F. Kennedy.

When he was 14, his father was assassinated while running for the Democratic nomination in 1968.

RFK Jr. graduated from Harvard University in 1976. He also studied at the London School of Economics, the University of Virginia School of Law, and Pace University.

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Throughout his career, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has made himself a name as an environmental lawyer and a champion of liberal causes.

However, the nephew of JFK is also surrounded by controversy. According to CNN, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is one of the most notorious anti-vaccine voices in the United States.

ABC News writes that in 2016, Kennedy founded the anti-vaccine organization and advocacy group Children’s Defense Fund.

RFK Jr. has made in the past wild claims such as that vaccines cause autism in children or that inoculation was responsible for millions of deaths during the Spanish Flu, per The New York Times.

According to The Guardian, the nephew of John F. Kennedy also compared policy to contain COVID-19 to the Third Reich.

Since then, as Associated Press points out, he has moderated his views in public and have claimed that he has never been anti-vaccination.

Interestingly enough, Kennedy has drawn praise from some Republican voices, sitting down with Alex Jones or Tucker Carlson in the past to speak against vaccines.

In the past, third party candidates such as Ross Perot or George Wallace (pictured) projected themselves impressively on the polls, only to get diminished results on election day. Can RFK Jr. use his Kennedy charm to beat the odds?