Will you sign the petition calling on RFK Jr. to suspend his bogus presidential campaign?
Dear MoveOn member,
Today, Robert Kennedy Jr. named Nicole Shanahan as his running mate to appear on his spoiler presidential ticket.1 Shanahan is a California-based attorney and former wife of Google co-founder Sergey Brin who has already donated millions of dollars to help Kennedy's campaign. This is yet another example of wealthy people making a spectacle of our democracy for their own fame and egos. RFK Jr.'s reckless campaign for president is a danger to our country, and that's why we're calling on him to suspend his campaign NOW. Sign the petition if you agree.
Polling shows that Kennedy's name on the ballot would end up pulling votes away from Biden, clearing the path for Trump in a close election.2 That's probably why some Trump megadonors are backing Kennedy—one ultra-wealthy Trump donor alone gave $15 million to a pro-RFK Jr. Super PAC last year.3
Kennedy started his bid for the White House in the Democratic primary but quickly jumped ship to run as an Independent, allowing him to challenge Biden in the general election against Trump.
Trump donors might be interested in Kennedy because he'd make it easier for Trump to win. But they also might be seeing their own agenda in RFK Jr.'s candidacy. He's previously backed a 15-week federal abortion ban (which he's since tried to backtrack on).4 As much as we might want to laugh off his campaign, the stakes are too high to ignore its very real impacts.
Let's add to the chorus of voices speaking out against RFK Jr.'s candidacy—sign the petition now!
And of course there's the issue that RFK Jr. has become most notorious for in recent years, his dangerous COVID vaccine denialism.
In 2020, Jr.'s niece, who is a doctor in New York City, published an opinion piece in The New York Times calling out his dangerous and false vaccine conspiracy theories. "As a doctor, and as a member of the Kennedy family," she said, "I feel I must use whatever small platform I have to state a few things unequivocally. I love my uncle Bobby. I admire him for many reasons, chief among them his decades-long fight for a cleaner environment. But when it comes to vaccines, he is wrong."5
The people who know him best—members of his own family—see his campaign for what it is: a fountain of misinformation that will benefit Trump. They say that his campaign is dangerous and that he should step aside.6
Add your name: RFK Jr. should end his campaign for the White House.
Kennedy's running mate announcement follows speculation about the possibility he would name some outlandish and deeply unqualified conspiracy theorists. Let's build a wave of opposition to his candidacy to urge him to back out, or to start to inoculate voters against his dangerous pitch. Click here to sign the petition and then share with three friends to help spread the word.
Thanks for all you do.
–David, Jaira, Erik, Amy, and the rest of the team
Sources:
1. "RFK Jr. picks running mate. What to know about philanthropist Nicole Shanahan," USA Today, March 26, 2024
https://act.moveon.org/go/188604?t=9&akid=378724%2E40999114%2EGzhYu_
2. "Why RFK Jr. Could Hurt Biden More Than Trump—As Democrats Launch Anti-Third Party Campaign" Forbes, March 14, 2024
https://act.moveon.org/go/188362?t=11&akid=378724%2E40999114%2EGzhYu_
3. "RFK Jr's bid for independent presidential run garners mega Trump donor support," Reuters, January 31, 2024
https://act.moveon.org/go/188363?t=13&akid=378724%2E40999114%2EGzhYu_
4. "RFK Jr. backs 15-week federal ban on abortion, then reverses himself," Politico, August 13, 2023
https://act.moveon.org/go/188358?t=15&akid=378724%2E40999114%2EGzhYu_
5. "Vaccines Are Safe, No Matter What Robert Kennedy Jr. Says," The New York Times, December 30, 2020
https://act.moveon.org/go/188364?t=17&akid=378724%2E40999114%2EGzhYu_
6. "Kennedy family members call RFK Jr.'s independent bid 'dangerous to our country,'" The Hill, October 9, 2023
https://act.moveon.org/go/188359?t=19&akid=378724%2E40999114%2EGzhYu_
You're receiving this petition because we thought it might interest you. It was created on MoveOn.org, where anyone can start their own online petitions. You can start your own petition here.
Want to support MoveOn's work? The MAGA movement's book bans have forced teachers and librarians across the country to remove books from their shelves and censor what young people can learn. MoveOn is fighting back, including by filling a "Banned Bookmobile" with books that the far right has banned and driving it to key cities and towns to raise the visibility of book bans, hand out banned books for free, and bring people together to stop censorship. To keep up the fight against book bans and the MAGA politicians who support them, we need your help.
Will you start a monthly gift to power and sustain MoveOn's critical work?
No, I'm sorry, I can't make a monthly donation.
PAID FOR BY MOVEON POLITICAL ACTION, https://pol.moveon.org/. Not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee. MoveOn Political Action - PO Box 96142, Washington, D.C. 20090-6142.
This email was sent to John xxxxxx on March 26, 2024. To change your email address or update your contact info, click here. MoveOn's privacy policy was recently updated. To read our new privacy policy, click here. To remove yourself from this list, click here.