Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is perhaps a protracted shot candidate within the Democratic main, however his marketing campaign coffer is hardly strapped for money. Well-liked Info reviews {that a} assortment of rich Republican donors—together with Mark Dickson and Keith Sheldon—at the moment are bankrolling the hopeful, whose help amongst probably main voters has hovered within the low double digits, making him the probably Democratic disruptor for Joe Biden’s reelection bid.
Dickson and Sheldon—who’re most notably Trump donors and have by no means beforehand given to a Democrat—each donated the authorized most of $6,600. And so they aren’t outliers: Of the 96 donors to contribute the utmost to Kennedy from the beginning of his marketing campaign in April by means of the month of June, 37 donated solely to Republican candidates in prior federal races. (Well-liked Info additionally discovered that solely 19 of these 96 donors steadily backed Democrats up to now.)
One Kennedy-aligned tremendous PAC, American Values 2024, has gotten the identical therapy, with roughly half of the $10.25 million it has raised this 12 months coming from Republicans. Kennedy additionally shares a couple of rich donors with Florida governor and Republican presidential candidate Ron DeSantis, together with David Sacks, a enterprise capitalist who has publicly supported DeSantis and whose PAC donated $6,600 to the Democrat; Sacks has additionally hosted separate fundraisers for each Kennedy and the Florida governor, based on Axios. In the meantime, Omeed Malik, an ex-Democrat and former Financial institution of America government, and Joe Voboril, considered one of Malik’s enterprise companions, have additionally contributed to each Kennedy and DeSantis.
Why has this mass of Republican help emerged round Kennedy, who’s—once more—a Democrat? Lots of it probably has to do with COVID-19: Kennedy is an outspoken anti-vaxxer whose medical conspiracy theories are way more well-liked amongst conservatives than amongst Democrats. He beforehand in contrast Dr. Anthony Fauci to Hitler and later argued that COVID-19 mandates had been creating an surroundings that was extra oppressive than that of the Holocaust. Extra just lately, he’s dabbled in COVID-19 race science. “There may be an argument that [COVID-19] is ethnically focused,” he stated at a press dinner final week, per the New York Put up. “COVID-19 is focused to assault Caucasians and Black folks. The people who find themselves most immune are Ashkenazi Jews and Chinese language…. We don’t know whether or not it was intentionally focused or not.”
Shared ideology apart, Kennedy is also a helpful asset for Republicans vying to impede a clear and simple nomination course of for Biden. Forward of Kennedy’s official marketing campaign launch, CBS Information’ Robert Costa reported that Trump ally Steve Bannon had spent months urging Kennedy to problem Biden, hoping to show the Democratic main the wrong way up. (Kennedy has denied the framing of that report.) Donald Trump, in the meantime, has referred to as on Kennedy to face robust within the Democratic main, describing him as a “very sensible…commonsense man.”
That sentiment has solely unfold amongst conservative pundits and lawmakers of late: “Cease the Steal” organizer Ali Alexander stated earlier this month that he’s “fascinated with voting within the Democrat main for RFK Jr.” And former Fox Information host Tucker Carlson hailed Kennedy final month for asking vital questions, saying he’s going through extra assaults from the press than some other presidential candidate in historical past.
