(RightWing.org) – Independent presidential candidate Robert F Kennedy Jr surprised Superbowl fans with a dramatic ad urging them to vote for him in November. The ad played on his family history, linking himself to his father and former presidential candidate. Democrats were outraged at the move.
At halftime in the February 11 game between the San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs, fans were surprised to see a 30-second advert by RFK Jr, the attorney and anti-vaccine activist who initially challenged President Biden for this year’s Democrat nomination but is now running as an independent.
The ad, based on one used by former president John F Kennedy — who was RFK Jr’s uncle — in his 1960 campaign, urged Americans to “Vote Independent,” and showed black and white photos of the candidate, along with old shots of his relatives, under a vintage “Kennedy for President” banner.
Not everyone was pleased to see the campaign ad, however. One user on X (formerly Twitter) asked Kennedy to not “give us this during the halftime,” but others were supportive. One said it left them “feeling sick” at how US politics has changed, while another said the ad was “better than the halftime performance.”
Politically, Kennedy is likely to be pleased with it; Google Trends showed a huge spike in searches for the candidate after the commercial went out. However, it could cause a rift between him and other members of the Kennedy clan. Bobby Shriver, Kennedy’s cousin, complained about his use of family photos and said his mother, JFK’s sister Maria Kennedy Shriver, would have opposed his “deadly healthcare views.”
The commercial was paid for by American Values 2024, a super PAC that’s been heavily backing Kennedy’s campaign. On February 9 the Democratic National Committee filed a complaint with the Federal Elections Commission complaining that Kennedy had received unlawful support from the PAC. Kennedy’s campaign dismisses that accusation as a “nonissue.”
Copyright 2024, RightWing.org
