The super PAC’s emergence suggests that Republicans are worried his independent candidacy could hurt former President Donald J. Trump in November.
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Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has been treated like a useful political piñata by Republicans and Democrats, with each side trying to position the candidate and his eclectic mix of policy views as an ally of the other party.
A prominent Republican campaign-finance lawyer has started a new super PAC to attack Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as a liberal aligned with Democrats, the latest sign of concern among party members that Mr. Kennedy, who is running as an independent, may be poised to take votes away from former President Donald J. Trump.
The group, set up by Charles Gantt, is funneling money to Republican operatives and funding paid ads and mail, including a campaign that praises his position on abortion rights.
“Pro-choice. Progressive. Democrat,” the piece of direct mail, sent to a Democratic voter in Philadelphia and viewed by The New York Times, reads in bold letters.
It’s a tactic similar to one increasingly deployed by Republicans and Democrats in recent cycles, in both general elections and primaries: Strategists sometimes target candidates in subversive ways, seemingly pitching their opponent to the other side in order to make them less attractive to their own voters.
The new outside group, called SAG PAC, was incorporated last month by Mr. Gantt, who is also the treasurer and secretary of a pro-Trump nonprofit with similar initials: Securing American Greatness.
Mr. Gantt did not respond to a request for comment. A spokesperson for Mr. Kennedy has not responded, either.
The super PAC has yet to disclose its donors, but it has spent about $2.2 million on paid ads and mail that seem to be highlighting positions of Mr. Kennedy that would not only entice Republicans flirting with supporting him to return to Mr. Trump, but also to make him more well-liked by Democrats and, in doing so, cut into the support for Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democrats’ likely nominee.
The group’s website is designed to give the impression that it is just another anti-Kennedy super PAC, drawing attention to what it calls “The Real Robert F. Kennedy Jr.” But unlike in most attack-style messaging, the super PAC uses largely neutral language as it presents his points of view on taxes, climate change and abortion rights, an apparent attempt to make his positions appear amenable to liberals.
The group has recently spent or will spend a modest amount, about $360,000, mostly in Michigan and Pennsylvania on ads on YouTube, according to records maintained by the platform. Those ads similarly highlight Mr. Kennedy’s position on abortion rights.
Mr. Kennedy has been treated like a useful political piñata by Republicans and Democrats, with each side trying to position the candidate and his eclectic mix of policy views as an ally of the other party. Democratic operatives have so far been more organized than their G.O.P. counterparts, promoting Mr. Kennedy as a supporter of Mr. Trump. The emergence of this new group, which has only spent on Kennedy-related advertising so far, suggests that allies of Mr. Trump are preparing to try and fight back in a more substantial way.
Mr. Kennedy’s support has also flagged amid the recent upheaval in the presidential race. He has struggled to raise money and remain relevant in the national conversation.
Theodore Schleifer writes about campaign finance and the influence of billionaires in American politics. More about Theodore Schleifer
See more on: 2024 Elections, Republican Party, Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
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Source: nytimes.com
