Kennedy family officially endorses Biden at campaign event in latest snub to RFK Jr

At least 15 members of the Kennedy family have officially endorsed President Joe Biden for re-election on Thursday over independent candidate, Robert F Kennedy Jr, the son of the late New York senator and attorney general Robert F Kennedy.

Mr Kennedy’s sister, Kerry Kennedy, said she and her family were “happy today to pledge our unwavering support to President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris” because a vote for the 46th president would be “a vote for our democracy and our decency”.

She also denounced Mr Biden’s Republican opponent, former president Donald Trump, as “the most anti-democratic president in American history”.

“Donald Trump is running to take us backwards attacking the most basic rights and freedoms that are at the core of who we are as Americans. He’s saying he will be a dictator on day one, even saying he wants to suspend the constitution so he can go after his enemies, after his critics after the press,” she said, adding that Mr Trump, in her estimation, is “running to use his power to punish his enemies, silence his opponents,” and unleash “more chaos, division and political violence with his extreme agenda”.

She also described Mr Biden — not her brother — as a rightful heir to her father’s political legacy.

“I can only imagine how Donald Trump’s outrageous lies and behaviour would have horrified my father, Senator Robert F Kennedy who proudly served as the Attorney General of the United States and honoured his pledge to uphold the law and protect the country. Daddy stood for equal justice, for human rights and freedom from want and fear, just as President Biden does today,” she said.

The Kennedy family has mostly rejected the insurgent campaign by the environmental lawyer and vaccine skeptic, and will now officially back Mr Biden, who’s only the second Catholic president, John F Kennedy being the first.

Their endorsement of the 46th president came at a campaign event in Philadelphia on Thursday afternoon, and as polling between Mr Biden and former President Donald Trump tightens.

According to some polls, a third-party candidate with high name recognition such as Mr Kennedy could become a spoiler for Mr Biden by pulling away just enough votes for Mr Trump to be victorious in battleground states, allowing him to win the electoral college.

Robert F Kennedy served as his brother’s attorney general, and later as a New York Senator. He was assassinated while running for the Democratic nomination in 1968, five years after the assassination of his brother.

Last month, more than 30 members of the Kennedy family attended the White House St Patrick’s Day celebration where they took photos with Mr Biden.

Both Republicans and Democrats are concerned that with an electorate less-than-enthused about the current candidates, Mr Kennedy may be able to grab a small but significant number of votes from them which could be decisive in November.

After the endorsement, Mr Biden and the Kennedys are set to meet supporters at a campaign event and some members of the family are planning on making calls and knocking on doors in support of Mr Biden.

A number of family members are not choosing to endorse Mr Biden, such as Caroline Kennedy, the US ambassador to Australia, and Maria Shriver, a nonprofit leader, with the Biden campaign saying it was because of their nonpolitical engagements.

Kerry Kennedy appeared on MSNBC on Thursday morning, saying, “This campaign about … about democracy. It is about freedom. It is about the people of America, not only our country but all around the world. And that’s why it’s so, so important for every single person to come out and vote … If everybody votes, Biden wins. But right now, this is going to be a very, very close election”.

“We can’t have people voting for third parties no matter who they are,” she added. “In every family … Americans have diverse views. You have to love your family members. You don’t have to like them. I love Bobby, and I like Bobby. But this campaign is not about Bobby, this campaign is about Trump versus Biden. And what we need to do today is focus on Biden winning.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report