RFK pulls out of Arizona vote as campaign points to Trump link: NPR

Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has filed paperwork to withdraw his name from the Arizona ballot, a sign that his long-term candidacy may be over.

Kennedy had already planned to give remarks on Friday in Arizona, about his “way forward”.

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump will also be in Arizona on Friday, and Kennedy’s running mate Nicole Shanahan said recently that she and Kennedy might “step away now and join forces with Donald Trump.”

Trump he told CNN in an interview following Shanahan’s comments that he would consider giving Kennedy a role in a potential second Trump administration if Kennedy quits and approves.

Kennedy holds some policy positions at odds with Trump, such as on climate change, and initially ran for the Democratic presidential nomination, but later announced would run as an independent.

Kennedy, a scion of a famous American political family who is now widely known as an anti-vaccine conspiracy theorist, promised to disrupt the two-party system with his campaign, but failed to gain traction, especially after that Vice President Harris replaced President Biden. on the Democratic ticket.

In the latest NPR/PBS News/Marist poll conducted earlier this month, he enjoyed 5% support.

It’s unclear how a Kennedy exit might change the presidential race, although several recent polls show Kennedy drawing slightly more support from Trump than Harris.