Democratic presidential hopeful Robert F. Kennedy Jr. hired a Republican member of the New Hampshire House to work on his presidential campaign, which his campaign manager said proves he has ‘crossover appeal.’
The New Republic reported Tuesday that Kennedy had added Republican Aidan Ankarberg to his staff.
Ankarberg is a sitting GOP member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives and formerly served as deputy majority whip.
Kennedy’s campaign manager, former Democratic Rep. Dennis Kucinich – an ex-presidential contender himself – told TNR that the addition of Ankarberg simply shows how the Democratic longshot, a prominent anti-vaxxer, has support outside of party lines.
‘He’s got the broadest appeal of anybody that’s run in a long time,’ Kucinich told the left-leaning magazine.
‘Mr. Kennedy has crossover appeal. And it’s really powerful.
‘And we had Republicans who are coming over. We have independents. We have libertarians, we have conservatives, we have liberals, every stripe of political following and endeavor is moving toward our campaign.’
Democratic presidential hopeful Robert F. Kennedy Jr. hired a Republican member of the New Hampshire House to work on his presidential campaign, which proves he has ‘crossover appeal’
New Hampshire state Rep. Aidan Ankarberg, a Republican, is now working for Democratic hopeful Robert F. Kennedy’s 2024 presidential campaign
Polling shows that Kennedy has lost support among Democrats since announcing his bid for the White House in April.
Kennedy’s high-water mark to date was receiving 21 percent of Democratic support in an Emerson national poll conducted in late April.
In a Quinnipiac survey from last week, that support stood at 13 percent.
A FiveThirtyEight analysis published earlier this month showed that throughout July, Republicans consistently held Kennedy in higher regard than his Democratic counterparts.
A recent New York Times/Siena College poll echoed that, finding that 55 percent of Republicans held a favorable view of Kennedy, while just 28 percent of Democrats felt the same way.
Kennedy’s anti-vaxx rhetoric, his stance against funding the Ukraine war, and a murky position on abortion restrictions have helped his standing on the political right.
Over the weekend at the Iowa State Fair, Kennedy’s crossover appeal was on full display, with most of his audience comprised of Trump supporters who had popped over to see the Democratic hopeful after Trump’s trio of stops wrapped up.
‘Trump-Kennedy!’ one woman in a Trump shirt yelled in the direction of RFK Jr – the son of the late Sen. Robert F. Kennedy and nephew of the late President John F. Kennedy.
Half of all Trump voters in Iowa think RFK Jr would make a good VP pick, according to a poll for DailyMail.com that surveyed 600 likely caucus-goers
After his appearance, Kennedy was asked if he’d serve in a Republican administration, with the journalist pointing to how many GOP voters had told her they liked what he was saying.
Half of all Trump voters in Iowa think Kennedy would make a good VP pick for the ex-president, according to a poll for DailyMail.com that surveyed 600 likely caucus-goers
Kennedy volunteered that he ‘would not’ serve as Trump’s running mate.
Kennedy could, however, give Trump a good night – by embarrassing President Joe Biden in New Hampshire.
Due to Biden-aligned Democrats pushing to reorder the presidential primaries, it’s likely Biden’s name won’t appear on the ballot in the Granite State if it holds its traditional first-in-the-nation primary.
The Democrats voted to allow South Carolina to leapfrog Iowa and New Hampshire – but New Hampshire’s state law forces its primary to still be held first.
Biden’s supporters will have to write the president’s name in, while Kennedy and Democratic hopeful Marianne Williamson have no restrictions to appear on the ballot.
But for all the chatter about Kennedy’s Republican support, New Hampshire voters – including Ankarberg – would have to change parties in order to back him in the Democratic primary.
