Former Rep. David Jolly (Fla.), who was once a Republican congressman but later left the party, strongly criticized independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., calling him a 'MAGA crazy Republican' who could attract votes away from the GOP in November.
“I still believe RFK Jr. could take more votes from the Republican party and I think that’s why Donald Trump is criticizing him,” Jolly, an MSNBC political commentator, told host Jonathan Capehart on Saturday. “He is a MAGA crazy Republican, he’s a vaccine denier. He rejects science, he changes his stance on the issue of abortion and even his own VP candidate can’t keep up with where he stands from day to day on the most important issue going into November.”
Kennedy, who switched from the Democratic party to run as an independent last fall, faced criticism last week after he told Sage Steele on her podcast that he’s against government limits on abortion, even if they’re full term.
Over the weekend, Kennedy tried to retreat from his previous comments, posting on X, “Abortion has been a notoriously divisive issue in America, but actually I see an emerging consensus — abortion should be legal up until a certain number of weeks, and restricted thereafter.”
His running mate, Nicole Shanahan, shared her opinions on abortion last month, stating that she dislikes the idea of someone regulating her body, but would not feel right about terminating a viable life.
Jolly later mentioned Kennedy’s recently resurfaced statement that doctors informed him a parasite ate part of his brain after experiencing memory loss and brain fog in 2010. The New York Times examined a deposition of Kennedy from 2012 that described his experience with his symptoms and the dead parasite.
“And now he says he has a woman eating his brain. He is a perfect Republican today. So who knows how he performs in specific states that really matter to a Biden victory in November,” Jolly said. “But, I would tell you, this guy speaks to the ‘Aaron Rogers Republican,’ which ultimately could take from the market crowd. I anticipate to see Joe Biden having a small advantage with RFK going into November.”
New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers, a fellow vaccine skeptic, was on the independent candidate’s shortlist for vice president before he tapped Shanahan.
The Hill reached out to the Kennedy campaign for comment.
Kennedy has said he does not align with Democrats ideologically, but also does not completely fit with Republicans. Political strategists differ over whether Kennedy stands to hurt President Biden or Trump — their parties’ respective presumptive nominees — in the polls this November.
Some Republicans believe Kennedy will take away votes from President Biden, attracting support from dissatisfied Democrats who do not want to support an elderly person they see as ineffective.
Meanwhile, others like Democratic strategist James Carville suggested Kennedy could attract votes away from Trump. Trump’s campaign has recently intensified its anti-Kennedy sentiment, highlighting this worry.
