With the reshuffling of the presidential race, the already dire state of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s campaign has worsened. Many of the undecided voters who were previously open to voting third party have begun consolidating for Democrats, and more voters who oppose Trump are waking up to the binary choice that they will face in November. As a result, RFK Jr. finds himself with less of a rationale than ever in his narcissistic campaign for president. 

Look no further than the headlines he’s received in recent days: 

• Los Angeles Times: Robert F. Kennedy Jr. struggles for relevance as presidential campaign is remade
• Politico: Robert F. Kennedy Jr. struggles to gain traction amid unification on both sides
• Newsweek: Kamala Harris is Wiping Out RFK Jr’s Campaign

Spiraling in the Polls 

RFK Jr.’s campaign is in free fall — with his poll numbers worsening nearly every month. Now with Vice President Harris likely at the top of the ticket, the decline has become even more precipitous. Over the last week, we have seen a number of humiliating polls for RFK Jr.:

• At 4% in the Wall Street Journal
• At 5% in the New York Times / Siena College
• At 6% in Quinnipiac

The Democratic National Committee’s efforts to inform voters about RFK Jr. and define him have not only driven down his support among voters, but they have also driven up his negatives. Since December 2023, Kennedy has seen his net favorability fall from -2 to -22 in Quinnipiac. We see an even more dire picture when looking at YouGov, where Kennedy has gone from +14 in January to -21 in early July. 

Spending Time with Trump, Not Voters 

It’s been over 70 days since RFK Jr. held his own campaign rally – his last was on May 19th in Colorado. And his schedule has been downright sparse for an alleged presidential candidate. POLITICO writes: “Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is nowhere to be seen…[he] is far from trying to capitalize on the moment of upheaval…[but instead has] canceled a series of campaign events in the last two weeks, including a press conference at the National Press Club in Washington, a live-audience interview at the CNN-POLITICO Grill at the RNC and a farm visit in Wisconsin.”

Instead of campaigning for himself, RFK Jr. has made news recently “playing footsie” with Trump. RFK Jr. spent days at the RNC in Milwaukee trying to negotiate an endorsement of Trump in exchange for a cabinet position in a deal that never materialized. As RFK Jr. struggles to now find relevance, his own running mate and the co-chair of the MAGA-funded Super PAC propping him up have supported the idea of making a play for a Trump cabinet post. 

Running Out of Cash 

RFK Jr.’s campaign is more than $3 million in debt, spending more money than it raised for two consecutive months and continuing to rely overwhelmingly on running mate Nicole Shanahan to keep the lights on. As CBS News noted this weekend, “Kennedy’s campaign remains mired in single digits and debt.” With no resources to build a legitimate organizing operation or deal with mounting legal challenges, the campaign has resorted to online gimmicks (like a raffle for a cruise on “a lavish super yacht”) that have thus far failed to take off – highlighting the absence of real grassroot support. 

The Super PAC tasked with helping RFK Jr. and propped up by Trump’s largest donor, Timothy Mellon, is also “straining to expand its Rolodex of potential donors.” Even before the change at the top of the ticket and further deterioration in the polls, RFK Jr. was not seen as a worthwhile investment. That’s even more true now. 

Ongoing Questions Around Ballot Access 

Despite RFK Jr.’s claims of being on the ballot in enough states to win, only nine states have confirmed he will be on the ballot this November, with legal challenges still pending in some of those states. His campaign has had to rely on a pattern of shortcuts and deception with right wing third parties, shady deals, and outright fraud to try and make it on the ballot. Challenges are currently ongoing in states like Georgia, Nevada, Texas, and New York. With more deadlines approaching in key battleground states, we anticipate the past will be prologue and RFK Jr.’s campaign will have opened themselves up to more legal woes by skirting the rules. We are prepared to hold him accountable. 

We will remain vigilant and make sure all third party candidates are held accountable to playing by the rules. RFK Jr. won’t become president, but he can help decide who does. We can’t take our foot off the gas: we know that Republicans are propping-up third party candidates’ ballot access; GOP PACs are already running ads distorting RFK Jr’s anti-choice position; Donald Trump and RFK Jr. share the same largest donor, Timothy Mellon; and there are still questions as to why RFK Jr. chose to stay in the race after meeting with Trump, who has evidently chosen to keep him around as a useful idiot to hurt Democrats. 

RFK Jr. falls into the same spoiler category as Cornel West and Jill Stein, and over the next few months we will continue to make sure that voters know there is a clear choice between the only two candidates with the ability to win 270 electoral votes. The only way to stop a second Trump administration is by voting for Vice President Harris.