RFK is ending his presidential bid in key states, urging supporters to vote for Trump

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. says he is suspending his long-shot independent statesmanlike tally and removing his sanction from ballots successful battleground states, alternatively asking those supporters to backmost Republican nominee Donald Trump.

Kennedy, a scion of a celebrated American governmental family who is now known broadly arsenic an anti-vaccine conspiracy theorist, vowed to upend nan two-party strategy but grounded to summation nan basal traction needed to compete successful nan election.

Speaking successful Phoenix connected Friday, Kennedy said successful an “honest system” he believed he would triumph nan predetermination and railed against nan media and nan Democratic Party for perceived slights against his campaign.

“In my heart, I nary longer judge that I person a realistic past of electoral triumph successful nan look of this relentless, systematic censorship and media control,” he said. “So I cannot, successful bully conscience, inquire my unit and volunteers to support moving their agelong hours, aliases inquire my donors to support giving erstwhile I cannot honestly show them that I person a existent way to nan White House.”

After Kennedy’s moving mate signaled they could extremity their run and backmost Trump, nan erstwhile president told CNN that he would see giving Kennedy a domiciled successful a imaginable 2nd Trump management if Kennedy dropped retired and endorsed him.

RFK saw diminishing support successful caller months

Kennedy initially challenged President Biden successful nan Democratic superior earlier switching to an independent run, promising to present different prime for voters unhappy pinch what was past a rematch betwixt Biden and Trump.

While his run launched pinch an eager scheme to entreaty to voters crossed nan ideological spectrum, RFK leaned into conspiracies astir America, nan authorities and vaccines that appealed particularly to a smaller swath of voters and those who do not usually formed a ballot.

In portion owed to his celebrated governmental name, Kennedy appeared poised to siphon votes from Democratic-leaning voters who soured connected Biden’s property and perceived fittingness for office, but Kennedy focused his efforts much toward communicating pinch nan right.

Kennedy frequented right-wing podcasts and tv shows, and unsuccessfully attempted to woo nan Libertarian Party astatine their nationalist convention. He saw a barrage of antagonistic headlines overshadow his campaign, from allegations of intersexual battle to eating a barbecued canine to a caller revelation he was responsible for dumping a carnivore cub successful Central Park.

His run faced important challenges obtaining entree to authorities ballots, but it ran nan astir successful independent nationalist ballot entree effort successful 30 years, navigating onerous authorities laws and fighting disconnected well-funded ineligible challenges to taxable much than a cardinal signatures crossed 50 states. As of Friday, his run was connected astir 20 authorities ballots.

But those efforts did not construe to overmuch electoral support, particularly aft Vice President Harris replaced Biden arsenic nan Democratic nominee.

Kennedy dropped from a precocious of astir 15% to nan debased azygous digits successful nationalist predetermination polls. In nan latest NPR/PBS News/Marist poll, conducted earlier this month, he enjoyed 5% support.

The latest financial disclosures showed signs of Kennedy’s struggles, too, pinch nan run ending July pinch $3.9 cardinal rate connected hand, $3.4 cardinal successful indebtedness and a astir $1 cardinal refund to his moving mate Nicole Shanahan, a able California lawyer who poured successful $15 cardinal of her ain money to thief pinch ballot entree measures.

What happens next?

So what happens adjacent successful places wherever Kennedy is already connected nan ballot, and what effect does his endorsement of Trump perchance person connected nan result successful November? It depends.

Each authorities has its ain deadlines for finalizing nan slate of candidates and preparing ballots for voters, and differing rules for removing those names.

Kennedy withdrew his sanction from nan Arizona ballot Thursday, for example, and a Pennsylvania filing seeks to region him from that state’s ballot, but he reportedly missed Nevada’s Aug. 20 deadline to backmost retired location — though Nevada is 1 of respective states wherever ineligible challenges to his candidacy are still pending.

Many caller polls show Kennedy drafting somewhat much support distant from Trump than Harris, truthful Kennedy mightiness person an inducement to region his sanction from nan ballot successful battleground states to debar playing a spoiler for his recently endorsed ally.

Kennedy spent astir of his life arsenic a Democrat and still has definite governmental views that align much pinch nan party, particularly astir ambiance alteration and biology activism, that could forestall immoderate supporters from switching to Trump.

Supporters who backed RFK Jr.’s run because they wanted an action different than nan Democratic and Republican parties could move to different independent campaign. Others, who told NPR that Kennedy was nan only campaigner they would ballot for, could besides beryllium retired this election.