USA Kennedy withdraws from US election campaign in swing states
The independent US presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy is withdrawing from the race for the White House in particularly contested states. His name will be removed from the ballot in so-called swing states, the 70-year-old announced at an appearance in Phoenix in the US state of Arizona. He will remove his name from the ballot in around ten states where his "presence would be a disruption", Kennedy explained.
23.08.2024, 21:38
SDA
The move will primarily help Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump. US media had previously reported that Kennedy was planning to support the 78-year-old in the election campaign.
In his long speech, the non-party member explicitly emphasized that he was not withdrawing completely from the election campaign. In the remaining states, people could continue to vote for him without this harming Trump or the Democratic candidate Kamala Harris.
Election campaign with no prospect of victory
The nephew of legendary former President John F. Kennedy has no chance in the presidential election - polls put him at an average of only around 5 percent. However, both the Democrats and the Republicans are looking at him with concern. The election will be a neck-and-neck race between Trump and Harris. Kennedy could take decisive percentages from both sides. However, the polls currently suggest that his candidacy is more likely to hurt Trump.
The significance of Kennedy's decision has to do with the complicated procedure for US presidential elections. While most of the 50 states are firmly allocated to the Republicans or Democrats, a few are politically hard-fought. Close races are expected in Pennsylvania, Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina and Wisconsin in particular.
A few states will decide the outcome of the election
The role of these swing states is again a result of the US electoral system: the voters decide with their votes on the composition of a 538-member electoral college, which then elects the president in December. To win, candidates do not need the most votes overall, but a majority of the 538 electors - i.e. at least 270. In presidential elections, a distinction is therefore made between the actual majority of voters ("popular vote") and the majority in the electoral college ("electoral vote").
The number of electors per state is roughly based on the size of the population. Due to the majority voting system that applies in almost all states, the winner of a state receives all of its electoral votes - even in the case of narrow victories. This is what makes swing states so decisive for the outcome of the election.
There had already been speculation about a possible withdrawal of Kennedy from the race. A few days ago, Kennedy's vice-presidential candidate Nicole Shanahan had brought a merger with former President Trump into play. At the same time, there were reports that the duo was running out of money for the election campaign.
Big name - and a lot of criticism
Kennedy comes from a prominent political family and was a Democrat himself for decades, but has increasingly distanced himself from the party in recent years and broke away from the Democrats completely in October 2023 when he announced his presidential candidacy as a non-party member. The avowed anti-vaccinationist was frequently criticized by Democrats and other members of his family for spreading conspiracy myths and associating with extreme right-wing politicians.
Kennedy has now accused the Democrats of using undemocratic means to influence the election campaign to his and Trump's disadvantage. "In the name of saving democracy, the Democratic Party has set out to dismantle it," claimed Kennedy, accusing the party leadership of starting "a legal war" against him and Trump out of a lack of trust in their own candidate. Kennedy also lashed out at the US media, accusing them of unfair reporting and describing them as "mouthpieces of the government and stenographers for the organs of power".
A dead bear and a worm
Kennedy has recently made a name for himself with sensational stories. A few weeks ago, he claimed to have disposed of a bear corpse in New York's Central Park. In 2014, he found a dead bear cub, loaded it into his car and later left it in the famous park in Manhattan, he said. He had actually wanted to skin the bear and store the meat in his fridge, but then had to rush to the airport. At the time, a dead black bear was indeed discovered in Central Park - the mysterious find puzzled the authorities. Before that, Kennedy had hit the headlines because, according to a newspaper report, he believed that a worm in his brain was responsible for memory loss a few years ago.
