Presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will speak at the Conservative Political Action Conference later this month, the conference announced Friday.
“Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has a unique voice in advocating for the defunding of the weaponized bureaucracy and ensuring the constitutional right of medical freedom,” CPAC chairman Matt Schlapp said in a statement. “Kennedy joining such an important event is a reflection of the splintering of the left-wing coalition that has gone full woke Marxist to the point that traditional liberals don’t feel welcome anymore.”
Kennedy, who is expected to abandon the race for the Democratic nomination next week in favor of an independent presidential run, will join GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, Arizona Senate candidate Kari Lake, Texas attorney general Ken Paxton, and Newsmax CEO Chris Ruddy at the four-day conference, which will begin October 18.
“We are also honored to have Vivek Ramaswamy – a true patriot and rising star fighting for the values of life and liberty for every American,” Schlapp said. “Ramaswamy has made a massive impact on the political scene in a short amount of time. He comes from the world of business and is willing to courageously fight the woke agenda of corporate America.”
Kennedy will hold a 2024 campaign event on Monday in Philadelphia, where he will likely announce his independent run, Mediaite reported last week. The career environmental lawyer and vaccine skeptic has previously expressed frustration over the Democratic National Committee’s refusal to endorse an open primary contest between him and incumbent Joe Biden.
“Right now, we’re grappling with the DNC, trying to get them to do the right thing. But if they rig the process so that I can’t possibly win, which is how it’s rigged right now, then I would have to look at other options,” Kennedy told podcaster Theo Von last week. “I would have to look at running outside of the party. But I’m hoping they’ll open up the process and let me run.”
Kennedy, the son of former U.S. attorney general Robert F. Kennedy and nephew to former president John F. Kennedy, announced his run for president in April. Shortly thereafter, he received considerable support from Democrats, drawing as much as 21 percent of likely primary voters in an Emerson College poll.
Since then, Kennedy’s polling numbers have declined within his own party, but he has gained favor among Republican and conservative audiences for his skepticism regarding the Biden administration’s handling of the pandemic and their efforts to crack down on social-media companies.