PHOENIX (AP) — Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has long argued that the biggest hurdle of his presidential campaign is the perception that independent candidates can’t win. He has looked to the debates as a singular opportunity to stand alongside Joe Biden and Donald Trump in front of a massive audience.
But to make the first debate stage, he’ll have to secure a place on the ballot in at least a dozen more states and improve his showing in national polls in one month.
With a famous name and a loyal base, Kennedy has the potential to do better than any third-party presidential candidate since Ross Perot in the 1990s. Both the Biden and Trump campaigns, who fear he could play spoiler, bypassed the nonpartisan debate commission and agreed to a schedule that leaves Kennedy very little time to qualify for the first debate.
Publicly, Kennedy is expressing confidence that he will make the stage.
Red Lobster seeks bankruptcy protection after closing some restaurants
Guiding Social Organizations' Participation in Primary
Beautiful Family Moments — Through Children's Eyes
FDIC chairman Martin Gruenberg to step down, White House says
Tianjin, A City Where Historic Legacy, Modernity Come Together
Tianjin, A City Where Historic Legacy, Modernity Come Together
Zheng Zhenxiang: A Life Dedicated to Archeology
BBC Countryfile star Adam Henson's wife wrote heartbreaking goodbye letters after cancer diagnosis
Amtrak train hits pickup truck in upstate New York, 3 dead including child
Dough Figurines Cream of Traditional Chinese Culture