Kennedy’s team reached out to the Harris campaign last week to propose a pact that would see him exit the race and publicly endorse her in exchange for a role in her administration. The overture comes just weeks after Kennedy met with former President Donald Trump to explore a similar arrangement, should Trump emerge victorious in the 2024 election. Kennedy campaign spokesperson Stefanie Spear confirmed the outreach in a statement to CNN, saying Kennedy “is willing to meet with leaders of both parties to discuss the possibility of a unity government.” However, a spokesperson for the Democratic National Committee, Matt Corridoni, dismissed the idea in a separate statement to the news outlet, saying, “No one has any intention of negotiating with a MAGA-funded fringe candidate who has sought out a job with Donald Trump in exchange for an endorsement.” The potential deal with Harris was first reported by The Washington Post, which revealed that Kennedy’s team had conducted polling they attempted to share with Democratic leaders. The polling purportedly showed that public support for both Harris and Trump would increase in 31 states if either candidate announced that Kennedy would serve on their Cabinet. So far, the Harris campaign has not expressed any interest in the proposal, according to the Post. Harris may be disinclined to consider an offer from Kennedy, given recent data indicating that his candidacy as a third-party option is siphoning votes primarily from Trump. A new Marquette University Law School poll shows Harris leading by six points among likely voters when third-party candidates are included in the race. “From the beginning of this campaign, we were saying people should be talking to each other. That is the only way of unifying the country,” Kennedy told the Post in an August 14 interview. “I think it is a strategic mistake for them. That’s my perspective,” he added. “I think they ought to be looking at every opportunity. I think it is going to be a very close race.”Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is positioning himself for a potential role in the administration of Democratic nominee and current Vice President Kamala Harris, should she win the upcoming election.
In a Thursday X post, Kennedy denied the Post's reporting.
"I have no plans to endorse Kamala Harris for President. I do have a plan to defeat her," he wrote after detailing that "VP Harris’s Democratic Party would be unrecognizable to my father and uncle and I cannot reconcile it with my values." Kennedy drew several of distinctions between "Kennedy Democrats" and the current Democratic party. "I’ve spent years battling government corruption and lies. VP Harris spent years gaslighting Americans about the health of our Commander in Chief," he added.
Editor's Note: An earlier version of this story did not include quotes from Kennedy's Thursday post on X. The title and subtitle have been revised for the sake of accuracy.
