He may be from a political dynasty, but presidential hopeful Robert Kennedy Jr. doesn’t have the backing of his family—at least according to his sister.
Posting to X, the social network formerly known as Twitter, Kerry Kennedy slammed her brother’s decision to run for president as a third-party candidate, after ending his bid for the democratic nomination.
The 64-year-old shared a statement signed by herself and siblings Rory Kennedy, Joseph P. Kennedy II, and Kathleen Kennedy Townsend on October 9.
“The decision of our brother Bobby to run as a third-party candidate against Joe Biden is dangerous to our country,” the statement reads. “Bobby might share the same name as our father, but he does not share the same values, vision or judgment.
“Today’s announcement is deeply saddening for us. We denounce his candidacy and believe it to be perilous for our country.”
Since being posted, the statement has received 6 million views, more than 77,000 likes, over 28,000 retweets and thousands of comments.
Unsurprisingly, users opinions were divided, with Brendon Leslie writing: “Such a loving family.”
“What a sad and disgraceful statement,” said John.
“I may not agree with everything your brother, RFK Jr., says but I do value his strength to stand up and fight this wicked politician regime that’s squatting in the WhiteHouse now,” commented Penny Lane.
“He is more your father and uncle then the rest of you will ever be,” wrote AnonSidious. “He can put country before party.”
However, other users applauded Kerry Kennedy, with Dr. Jonathan N. Stea commenting: “Thank you.”
Chidi agreed, writing: “There’s always that one person in every family. Thanks to you and your siblings for speaking out.”
“Just ignore him. We all do,” said Brenda, while James William Garrett called RFK Jr. a “well-known crank.”
Despite becoming an independent candidate, RFK Jr. has little chance of beating current President Joe Biden or Republican frontrunner Donald Trump.
Although support for third-party contenders has grown due to the increasingly divisive nature of American politics, it’s rare for an independent candidate to receive significant backing.
However, there is ongoing debate as to whether RFK Jr. could pull more voters away from Trump or Biden, giving one candidate the edge. The 69-year-old’s policies have proven popular among Trump’s fanbase, with the environmental lawyer accused of spreading vaccine misinformation and other public health-related conspiracy theories.
On the other hand, RFK Jr.’s campaign includes progressive policies that might be popular with Democrats, such as environmental activism and civil rights for minorities. A poll conducted by the Rasmussen Reports in September found that 33 percent of Democratic voters would probably choose RFK Jr. if he ran as a third-party candidate, compared to 14 percent of Republicans.
Newsweek reached out to Kerry Kennedy and Robert Kennedy Jr. for comment via email.