Recently, speculation has been growing about who former president Donald Trump will select as his running mate for the upcoming 2024 election. Some have suggested picking a Democrat as his vice president would guarantee beating the Biden administration in the forthcoming election.
Although unconventional since almost every presidential campaign features a president and vice president along the same party lines, some have posited that Trump should select current Democrat presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as his running mate. The idea was initially brought up by Steve Bannon, a former Trump advisor during his first administration.
Giving credence to the idea, RFK Jr. has been doing well in recent polling. The most recent figures show the Democrat with 15 percent of the primary vote against Joe Biden, a significant number of votes. Therefore, if Kennedy joined Trump and convinced even a portion of that 15 percent of voters to cast their vote for their campaign, it could mean an inevitable loss for Biden in the upcoming election.
However, there is little to no chance the Democrat Party would accommodate such a plan. A spokesperson for the Bide campaign said, “As you know, no incumbent R [Republican] or D [Democrat] have done debates.” However, according to recent research, there is significant demand to see debates for the upcoming election.
According to Suffolk’s Political Research Center Director David Paleologos, “The decision not to debate is ignoring the 82% of women, 84% of union households, 86% of independents, and 90% of young voters who are not only planning to vote in their state’s Democratic primary or caucus next year but also would like to see a series of Democratic primary debates.”
Marianne Williamson, a Democrat candidate, explained that not debating is a form of voter suppression. She slammed the idea of not allowing debate, especially when the Democrats claim to be defending democracy. “Candidate suppression is a form of voter suppression, and the party that purports to be the champion of democracy should not be so wary of it in our own house,” she said.
Bannon initially proposed this unconventional strategy of RKF Jr. and Trump teaming up at the American Freedom Alliance. He claimed he is a “Kari Lake person,” but she could become governor or take office in the Senate, making her unavailable to Trump’s campaign. He then explained that Robert Kennedy Jr. would be another excellent choice.
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Apparently, the idea was well received among a crowd of staunch Trump supporters, which is very interesting. “I think that that is a signal to the political elites in this country that something very different is going on, and I thought it was quite extraordinary,” he said. While no one anticipates the Democrat National Committee allowing Biden to get on a debate stage, RFK Jr.’s polling has been unprecedented, having profound implications for the upcoming election.
Reportedly, Kennedy is viewed favorably by 49 percent of poll participants, while Biden is viewed favorably by 45 percent. The support for RFK Jr. could signal that average Americans are tired of the status quo in Washington, D.C., and want a change.