Robert F. Kennedy Jr. would announce his independent presidential candidacy on March 26 in Oakland, California, his campaign announced on Tuesday.
Kennedy is making the early announcement due to ballot access rules in many states requiring independent candidates to name their vice presidential nominees before they can begin the process.
He told The New York Times this week that NFL quarterback Aaron Rodgers and former Minnesota governor Jesse Ventura are among the potential candidates.
Rodgers, the longtime Green Bay Packers quarterback, shares Kennedy’s distrust of vaccines and, like Kennedy, appears on podcasts regularly. Ventura, a former professional wrestler, shocked observers when he won the 1998 Minnesota governor’s race as an independent candidate.
Kennedy began his presidential campaign as a primary challenge to Democratic President Joe Biden, but later changed course and became an independent. Kennedy’s father was attorney general for the candidate’s uncle, President John F. Kennedy.
A lawyer and environmental activist, he has found a dedicated following among vaccination opponents. His supporters also distrust government, corporations and the media.
Independent candidates seldom get on the ballot.
