The pastime of sailing is distinctly intertwined with the Kennedys.
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Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is running for president as an independent after dropping out of the Democratic nomination race.
The prize is another not-so-subtle attempt to channel Camelot: saltwater, wind and an afternoon sailing with the scion of a liberal political dynasty.
One who happens to be running for president, as his father and uncles did, but not as a Democrat.
As part of a sweepstakes giveaway organized by his campaign, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is offering a chance for one entrant and a guest to join him for an afternoon of sailing on the Pacific Ocean.
“Imagine the wind in your hair, the sun kissing your face and the rhythmic sound of waves beneath you as you sail together from Marina del Rey, California, on the afternoon of Saturday, May 11, 2024,” his campaign website says.
Mr. Kennedy, whose independent candidacy has rankled Democrats and spawned fears that he could play spoiler to President Biden, has also been promoting the contest on social media.
An environmental lawyer who has become better known for his anti-vaccine activism and the promotion of conspiracy theories, he joined the race last spring as a challenger for the Democratic nomination against Mr. Biden, but he abandoned the long-shot path in the fall to run as an independent.
There is no cost to enter the sweepstakes, but contributors can make more entries for every $10 that they contribute to Mr. Kennedy’s campaign, according to a lengthy explanation of the contest rules. The maximum number of entries is 300.
A campaign estimate placed the value of the prize at $3,000.
The pastime of sailing is distinctly intertwined with the Kennedys. Images of President John F. Kennedy, Mr. Kennedy’s uncle, at the helm of his beloved sailboat Victura off Cape Cod and of Mr. Kennedy’s father, Robert F. Kennedy, on the water have endured.
And it was John F. Kennedy who once said: “We are tied to the ocean. And when we go back to the sea — whether it is to sail or to watch it — we are going back from whence we came.”
But Mr. Kennedy’s efforts to trade on his family’s name, likeness and mystique have not always been well received.
During the Super Bowl this month, some relatives and Democrats criticized him over a $7 million campaign ad, a remake of a 1960 spot that helped put his uncle John F. Kennedy in the White House.
He apologized on X, saying he was sorry “if the Super Bowl advertisement caused anyone in my family pain,” while still promoting the commercial, paid for by an allied super PAC, on social media.
The sweepstakes winner will be chosen by a random drawing on March 5, according to the Kennedy campaign.
There is even a disclaimer for bad weather.
“In the event of inclement weather, the Marina del Rey sailing experience will be replaced with an alternative indoor experience with Mr. Kennedy,” the contest page says.
Neil Vigdor covers politics for The Times, focusing on voting rights issues and election disinformation. More about Neil Vigdor
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Source: nytimes.com
