Longshot Democratic hopeful Robert F. Kennedy Jr. hired New Hampshire Republican lawmaker to staff his campaign signaling his ‘crossover appeal,’ top aide says
Longshot Democratic hopeful Robert F. Kennedy Jr. hired New Hampshire Republican legislator to staff his campaign and declare his ‘crossover appeal,’ top aide says
- The Kennedy campaign has hired New Hampshire State Representative Aidan Ankarberg
- Ankarberg is a Republican
- Robert F Kennedy Jr. challenges President Joe Biden for the Democratic nomination
Democratic presidential nominee Robert F. Kennedy Jr. hired a Republican member of the New Hampshire House to work on his presidential campaign, which his campaign manager says proves he has “crossover appeal.”
The New Republic reported Tuesday that Kennedy added Republican Aidan Ankarberg to his staff.
Ankarberg is a sitting GOP member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives and formerly served as a deputy majority whip.
Kennedy’s campaign manager, former Democratic Rep. Dennis Kucinich — himself an ex-presidential candidate — told TNR that Ankarberg’s addition simply shows how the Democratic longshot, a prominent anti-vaxxer, has support beyond party lines.
“He has the greatest appeal of anyone who has run in a long time,” Kucinich told the leftist magazine.
‘Mr. Kennedy has crossover appeal. And it’s really powerful.
“And we had Republicans coming over. We have independents. We have libertarians, we have conservatives, we have liberals, every streak of political support and effort goes towards our campaign.”
Democratic presidential nominee Robert F. Kennedy Jr. hired a Republican member of the New Hampshire House to work on his presidential campaign, proving he has “crossover appeal”
New Hampshire State Representative Aidan Ankarberg, a Republican, now works for Democratic hopeful Robert F. Kennedy’s 2024 presidential campaign
Polls show Kennedy has lost support among Democrats since he announced his bid for the White House in April.
Kennedy’s all-time high received 21 percent of Democratic support in an Emerson national poll conducted in late April.
In a Quinnipiac poll last week, that support stood at 13 percent.
An analysis by FiveThirtyEight published earlier this month showed that Republicans consistently held Kennedy in higher esteem than his Democratic counterparts in July.
A recent New York Times/Siena College poll echoed that, finding that 55 percent of Republicans viewed Kennedy positively, while only 28 percent of Democrats felt the same way.
Kennedy’s anti-vaxx rhetoric, his stance against funding the war in Ukraine, and a dark stance on abortion restrictions helped him turn the political right.
Over the weekend at the Iowa State Fair, Kennedy’s crossover call was on full display, with most of his audience consisting of Trump supporters who had stopped by to see the Democratic hopeful after Trump’s trio of stops ended.
“Trump Kennedy!” a woman in a Trump shirt yelled at RFK Jr – the son of the late Senator Robert F. Kennedy and cousin of the late President John F. Kennedy.
Half of all Trump voters in Iowa think RFK Jr would be a good VP pick, according to a poll for DailyMail.com that surveyed 600 likely caucus attendees
After his performance, Kennedy was asked if he would serve in a Republican administration, with the journalist pointing to how many GOP voters had told her they liked what he said.
Half of all Trump voters in Iowa think Kennedy would be a good VP choice for the ex-president, according to a poll for DailyMail.com that surveyed 600 likely caucus attendees
Kennedy voluntarily said he “would not” serve as Trump’s running mate.
However, Kennedy could give Trump a good night — by embarrassing President Joe Biden in New Hampshire.
As Biden-aligned Democrats push for the presidential primaries to be rescheduled, Biden’s name likely won’t appear on the Granite State ballot if it holds its traditional first-in-the-nation primaries.
The Democrats voted to allow South Carolina to skip Iowa and New Hampshire, but New Hampshire state law still forces the primary to be held first.
Biden’s supporters will have to write the president’s name, while Kennedy and Democratic hopeful Marianne Williamson will have no restrictions on appearing on the ballot.
But despite all the chatter about Kennedy’s Republican support, voters in New Hampshire — including Ankarberg — would have to switch parties to support him in the Democratic primary.