Democrats’ concerns about RFK Jr. rise

WASHINGTON (NewsNation) — Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s campaign says it has gathered enough signatures from registered voters in New Hampshire to qualify for the state’s ballot in the general election — an announcement that has some Democrats nervous.

After months of speculation about the credibility of his campaign, Kennedy found success in a small battleground state nonetheless, giving Democrats pause that he could muddy their path to the White House.

“Whatever point Robert Kennedy Jr. wants to make, the time for making it is over,” said Michael Starr Hopkins, a Democratic operative and political commentator. “All this bulls**t about No Labels and third-party runs; RFK Jr.’s vanity project is an embarrassment to his family’s legacy and a danger to voters.”

Kennedy is fighting to get on the ballot in all 50 states, a feat he’s achieved in two so far. He believes an independent is the perfect candidate at this moment in history.

“I think that I have an opportunity to actually break that [partisan] logjam because right now, any issue that comes before Congress is siloed into the Republican or Democratic camps, and the other side can’t vote for it,” he told NewsNation’s Chris Cuomo. “But I think if we have an independent president who plays it right down the line, that it will give permission to senators and congressman from both sides to actually do their job … to vote on bills that actually make sense for our country without punishment from their own party.”

Responding to criticism from Democrats who argue he is hurting Joe Biden’s chances of beating Trump, Kennedy said he doesn’t think Biden “needs my help” losing to Trump. He argued the president has no real campaign strategy for winning.

“I think what they’re gambling on is that maybe these court cases are going to work and take Trump out of the race,” Kennedy said.

NewsNation’s Tyler Wornell and The Hill contributed to this report.