Southwest
Will Robert F. Kennedy's likely exit from 2024 race boost Trump over Harris?
The political spotlight will be on Democrat turned independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Friday, in what many expect will be an announcement that he is ending his White House bid.
Kennedy’s campaign says their candidate “will address the nation live on Friday about the present historical moment and his path forward.”
On the eve of his event in Arizona, Kennedy moved to withdraw his name from the state’s ballot – which appeared to be another signal of his intent to drop out of the race.
However, the biggest question surrounding Kennedy’s anticipated exit from the 2024 race is whether it will give former President Donald Trump a small but potentially significant boost in his showdown against Vice President Kamala Harris.
Pointing back to the previous two presidential elections, veteran Republican strategist and Fox News contributor Karl Rove spotlighted the influential role third party candidates played.
HARRIS TAKES AIM AT TRUMP AS SHE VOWS ‘TO BE A PRESIDENT FOR ALL AMERICANS’
Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. speaks at the Libertarian National Convention on May 24, 2024 in Washington, D.C. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
“[Green Party candidate} Jill Stein got more votes in Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania than Hillary Clinton lost those states by,” Rove noted as he pointed to Trump’s victory over the Democrats’ 2016 presidential nominee.
Rove added that “in 2020, Jo Jorgensen, the Libertarian candidate, got more votes in Arizona, Georgia and Wisconsin than Donald Trump lost those states by. And in each instance, that was the difference between winning and losing.”
ROBERT F. KENNEDY, JR. TO ADDRESS AMERICA ON FRIDAY ABOUT THE ‘PRESENT HISTORICAL MOMENT AND HIS PATH FORWARD’
Kennedy, the longtime environmental activist and high-profile vaccine skeptic, who is the scion of the nation’s most storied political dynasty, launched his long-shot campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination in April of last year. However, last October, the 70-year-old candidate switched to an independent run for the White House.
While Kennedy had long identified as a Democrat and repeatedly invoked his late father – Sen. Robert F. Kennedy – and his uncle – former President John F. Kennedy – who were both assassinated in the 1960s – Kennedy in recent years built relationships with far-right leaders.
President Biden’s campaign and the Democratic National Committee for months repeatedly slammed Kennedy as a potential spoiler whose supporters could hand Trump a presidential election victory in November.
However, Kennedy remained a thorn in Biden’s side from last year through the president’s announcement last month that he was ending his re-election bid and endorsing Harris.
Former President Donald Trump laughs while responding to a question from a reporter after his remarks on Aug. 20, 2024 at the Livingston County Sheriff’s Office in Howell, Michigan. (Photo by Nic Antaya/Getty Images)
The Trump campaign also started taking aim at Kennedy after he switched to an independent run, labeling him a member of the “radical left,” and criticizing him for his environmental activism.
However, the relationship between Kennedy and Trump started warming earlier this year, and the two spoke last month after the assassination attempt against Trump and met in person the following day.
RFK JR.’S RUNNING MATE CHARGES DEMOCRATS ‘OBSTRUCTED A FAIR ELECTION,’ ‘FULLY SUPPORTS’ WORKING WITH TRUMP
Earlier this week, Kennedy running mate Nicole Shanahan sparked headlines by saying in a podcast interview that the campaign was considering whether to “join forces” with Trump to prevent the possibility of Harris winning the 2024 election.
“If he endorsed me, I would be honored by it. I would be very honored by it. He really has his heart in the right place,” Trump said on Thursday in an interview on “Fox and Friends.”
Kennedy’s event is being held in Phoenix a couple of hours before Trump holds a rally in nearby Glendale.
“President Trump will be joined by a special guest as he delivers remarks about his America First policies and his vision to lower inflation and the cost of living, secure the border, and make our cities safe again,” a release from the former president’s campaign announced on Thursday, which sparked more speculation about a potential Kennedy endorsement.
Trump called in to Fox News following Vice President Kamala Harris’ nominating acceptance speech on Thursday night. Noting that Trump and Kennedy would be in the same state, Fox News anchors Bret Baier and Martha McCallum asked Trump if Kennedy would endorse him on Friday, and the former President replied coyly, “It’s possible we will be meeting tomorrow, and we’ll be discussing it.”
Kennedy’s campaign has been cratering in recent months. The last public event put on by Kennedy’s campaign came on July 9, in Freeport, Maine. However, even before that, his poll numbers – which once stood in the teens – had faded.
The most recent Fox News national poll, conducted Aug. 9-12, indicated Kennedy at 6% support.
His fundraising was also sinking, with campaign finance reports indicating he had just $3.9 million cash on hand as of the start of July, with nearly $3.5 million in debt.
Well-known non-partisan political handicapper Larry Sabato argued in a social media post that “Kennedy is barely relevant.”
“He can’t transfer much support, esp. to Trump. His backers will splinter,” Sabato predicted.
Presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. makes a campaign announcement at a press conference on Oct. 9, 2023 in Philadelphia. (Photo by Jessica Kourkounis/Getty Images)
Rove, the mastermind behind former President George W. Bush’s two White House election victories, said that if Kennedy “does endorse Trump, my sense is the people who were supporting him because he was a Kennedy, and they didn’t like Biden, have dissipated over the last four to five weeks and his supporters are probably people more inclined to vote for Trump than Harris.”
Alex Castellanos, the veteran Republican consultant who served in leading positions on the campaigns of four GOP presidential nominees, said that if Kennedy drops out and backs Trump, “it could help in two ways.
“One is he’s an outsider and Trump’s an outsider. RFK got drop-kicked out of the Democratic establishment, so the anti-Washington message that Trump has is amplified,” Castellanos argued.
He added that “more importantly, RFK is the K in Kennedy and that brand still has magic. That brand is Camelot. It’s what could have been and was interrupted. It’s a promise about the future, and you need know who needs optimism and someone to help him get to the future is Donald Trump. I think the brand is more important than the one or two percent he might bring to the Trump campaign.”
Democratic strategist Marie Harf, a Fox News contributor, said that “Democrats are curious what will happen if and when he [Kennedy] drops out, because if him being in the race was taking votes from Trump, those votes will go back to Trump now.”
“It’s already a tight race and will get even tighter if all the RFK votes go to Trump,” Harf emphasized.
Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.
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Los Angeles, Ca
Pasadena motorist knocked unconscious in unprovoked assault after other driver flashes high beams at him
A motorist was rendered unconscious after what authorities are calling an unprovoked attack that occurred after another driver flashed their high beams at him, authorities say.
According to the Pasadena Police Department, the victim, a 63-year-old man, was driving northbound on Raymond Avenue near Washington Boulevard when a vehicle traveling in the opposite direction flashed him around 1 a.m. Saturday.
“The victim reported that he was driving northbound on Raymond Avenue from Washington Boulevard when he observed a vehicle traveling southbound flashing its high beams at him,” a Pasadena Police Department spokesperson confirmed to KTLA. “The victim stated he stopped his vehicle and exited. He was then assaulted by an unknown suspect. The assault was unprovoked.”
The attack left the man unconscious and with a three-inch deep laceration to his head, police added. Upon regaining consciousness, the man transported himself to Huntington Hospital, and it was around 1:20 a.m. when police responded there to a report of an assault with a deadly weapon and began their investigation.
Upon arriving at the hospital, the victim told police that, due to his injuries, he was not able to provide a description of a suspect, vehicle or the weapon used, nor was he able to tell police the exact location where the assault occurred, although it was confirmed to be somewhere near Raymond Avenue and Washington Boulevard. La Pintoresca Park is located near that intersection.
No further details were immediately available.
Anyone with any information on the incident is asked to contact the Pasadena Police Department right away.
Sofia Pop Perez contributed to this report.
A woman was struck and killed by a driver while crossing the street on Pacific Coast Highway in Long Beach.
On June 3, the female pedestrian was using the crosswalk at Pacific Coast Highway and Pacific Avenue around 4:50 a.m.
She had walked against a red light and was hit by a 19-year-old driver in a Chevy sedan, Long Beach police said.
Despite lifesaving efforts, the woman was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver remained at the scene and is cooperating with the investigation.
“At this time, impaired driving, distracted driving and excessive speed are not believed to be a factor in this collision,” police said.
The woman’s name is being withheld pending identification by the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner.
Anyone who witnessed the crash or has information on the incident is asked to call Detective Joseph Johnson at 562-570-7355.
Anonymous tips can be provided to L.A. Regional Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or online at lacrimestoppers.org.
A man wanted for a deadly road rage shooting in Los Angeles was arrested and extradited from Mexico after fleeing the U.S. in 2024.
The suspect was identified as Christian Rojas, 21, of Bellflower, according to the California Highway Patrol.
Authorities had been searching for him since the deadly incident on October 10, 2024.
Rojas and a second suspect, Joshua Rojas Sr., 47, of Downey, were driving on the northbound 5 Freeway in Boyle Heights around 4 p.m. when they became involved in an altercation with another driver that escalated into a shooting.
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Video obtained exclusively by KTLA shows the terrifying moment a road rage suspect opened fire the driver of another car on the 5 Freeway in Los Angeles, fatally wounding him and seriously injuring a passenger, on Oct. 10, 2024. (Credit: @hugoboss01) -
Video obtained exclusively by KTLA shows the terrifying moment a road rage suspect opened fire the driver of another car on the 5 Freeway in Los Angeles, fatally wounding him and seriously injuring a passenger, on Oct. 10, 2024. (Credit: @hugoboss01) -
Video obtained exclusively by KTLA shows the terrifying moment a road rage suspect opened fire the driver of another car on the 5 Freeway in Los Angeles, fatally wounding him and seriously injuring a passenger, on Oct. 10, 2024. The alleged gunman is circled. (Credit: @hugoboss01) -
Video obtained exclusively by KTLA shows the terrifying moment a road rage suspect opened fire the driver of another car on the 5 Freeway in Los Angeles, fatally wounding him and seriously injuring a passenger, on Oct. 10, 2024. (Credit: @hugoboss01) -
Video obtained exclusively by KTLA shows the terrifying moment a road rage suspect opened fire the driver of another car on the 5 Freeway in Los Angeles, fatally wounding him and seriously injuring a passenger, on Oct. 10, 2024. (Credit: @hugoboss01) -
Christian Rojas, 21, of Bellflower, was arrested and extradited to the U.S. from Mexico on June 2, 2026, in connection with a deadly road rage shooting in Los Angeles. (California Highway Patrol)
Video of the tense confrontation showed the suspects, who were driving a Dodge Durango SUV, opening fire on two men in a Cadillac sedan.
The shooting forced the victim to pull over abruptly. That’s when a suspect ran up to the Cadillac, opened the passenger-side door and fired several shots at close range.
In a panic, the Cadillac driver tried to escape by making a sudden U-turn and driving against oncoming traffic. He eventually crashed head-on into several vehicles.
The suspects ditched their SUV and fled toward a freeway exit on foot. The Cadillac driver was left with serious injuries and his passenger was killed. Their identities were not released.
The incident caused a miles-long backup that left thousands of motorists stranded on the freeway for hours and authorities worked to clear the scene.
Following an extensive investigation, detectives identified the two men as the suspects involved.
Joshua Rojas Sr. was arrested in San Bernardino on October 22, 2024, on a murder charge. He remains in custody awaiting trial.
Meanwhile, Christian Rojas had fled the U.S. and was hiding in Mexico, detectives said. A $4.3 million bail warrant was issued for his arrest.
“Through a coordinated international effort, investigators determined that Rojas was living in Palomo de Arriba, Mexico,” CHP officials said. “The U.S. Marshals Service worked with Mexican state police to locate and arrest him on the outstanding warrant.”
On June 2, 2026, Christian was arrested and extradited to the U.S. to face a murder charge.
“This arrest demonstrates that time and distance will not shield violent offenders from justice,” said CHP Southern Division Chief Chris Margaris. “For nearly two years, our detectives remained relentless in their pursuit of those responsible for this senseless act of violence. Through exceptional collaboration with the United States Marshals Service and our law enforcement partners in Mexico, we located and apprehended this suspect and brought him back to face the charges. We remain committed to protecting the public, supporting victims and their families, and holding violent criminals accountable wherever they may try to hide.”
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