- New betting odds released by BetOnline suggest that Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will not endorse Donald Trump for President.
- RFK Jr. recently announced that he will drop his Democratic primary bid and run as an independent for president.
- Kennedy Jr. has the seventh-best odds to win the 2024 presidential election.
While a contingent of GOP members backing Donald Trump’s presidential run, don’t expect an endorsement from Robert F. Kennedy Jr. after he dropped out of the Democratic primary bid.
According to odds at BetOnline, Kennedy Jr. is not projected to endorse Trump’s presidential run. Currently, Kennedy Jr. is +140 to endorse Trump, which equates to a 41.7 percent implied probability.
The likelier scenario is that Kennedy Jr. will decline a Trump endorsement for President. At -180, there is a 64.3 percent probability of Kennedy Jr. refusing to endorse Trump. As of October 12, 2023, former President Trump is the odds-on favorite to win the 2024 US presidential election.
With +150 odds, Trump has the best odds of becoming the next President of the United States. President Joe Biden follows closely behind, at +175, while California Governor Gavin Newsom is well behind, with the third-best odds at +800.
RFK Jr. 2024 Presidential Election Odds Falling
In April, Kennedy Jr. announced his bid for the Democratic presidential nomination. With 14 percent of 2020 Biden voters reportedly backing Kennedy Jr., he was facing uphill odds from the start. Kennedy Jr.’s staunch opposition to vaccines has put him at odds with many Democratic voters.
A month later, after announcing his bid, Kennedy Jr. had +1000 odds to win the Democratic nomination. At the time, this put him ahead of Gov. Newsom.
However, in the latest Democratic nomination odds update, Newsom had +600 odds, while Kennedy Jr. had +950 odds to lead the Democrats into the 2024 presidential election.
Currently, President Biden is a -400 favorite to win the Democratic presidential nomination. This affords Biden an implied probability of 80 percent. Newsom remains the runner-up to Biden at +450 odds.
Following Newsom, there isn’t a realistic candidate to challenge Biden. Former First Lady Michelle Obama has the third-best odds at +450.
Kennedy Jr.’s independent announcement came at a time when his support among Democrats was severely eroding. However, the news has not improved the environmental lawyer’s odds to win the 2024 presidential election.
In July, Kennedy Jr. had the third-best odds of becoming the next President of the United States. At +1200, Kennedy Jr. was ahead of Ron DeSantis’ odds of +1700. Now, Kennedy Jr. owns the seventh-best odds (+2000), behind unlikely winners, such as Michelle Obama and Nikki Haley.
Republicans Not Pleased With RFK Jr.’s Independent Run
Kennedy’s Jr. presidential platform did not fall in line with what many people see as Democratic values. In fact, Kennedy Jr. has attracted a loyal following of right-wing voters for his distrust of vaccines and the media.
So, when Kennedy Jr. announced that he was dropping out of his bid for the Democratic presidential nomination, the news came as a shock to no one.
Nonetheless, he has garnered criticism from GOP members for his beliefs on the environment. Many Republicans point to Kennedy’s core Democratic values, for instance, his opposition to fracking and plastics.
The GOP is not thrilled with Kennedy Jr. distancing himself from the Democratic Party. According to Republican National Committee Chair Ronna McDaniel, Kennedy Jr. is a “Democrat in Independent’s clothing” and a typical “elitist liberal”
Former President Trump’s campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung was also critical of Kennedy Jr.’s announcement to become an independent.
“Voters should not be deceived by anyone who pretends to have conservative values. An RFK candidacy is nothing more than a vanity project for a liberal Kennedy to cash in on his family’s name,” Cheung wrote in a statement.
In July, Trump referred to Kennedy Jr. as ‘a very smart person’. However, Trump’s own team has struck back at Kennedy Jr. after he revealed his decision to run as an independent. The offensive against Kennedy Jr. is largely viewed as an attempt to discredit the son of Robert F. Kennedy.
Trump, who has attracted voters who oppose the status quo in government, could see Kennedy Jr. as a threat to his voter base. As a consequence, Trump supporters are quickly responding to categorize Kennedy Jr. as a clear Democrat and not an independent candidate.
