Kennedy Jr. refuses to pledge support for Dem nominee

(NewsNation) —  Democratic presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Wednesday refused to pledge his support to whoever becomes the Democratic nominee in the event he fails to secure the nomination.

Asked by Elizabeth Vargas in a town hall hosted by NewsNation whether he will “pledge to support whoever the Democratic nominee is,” Kennedy responded, “Oh, of course I’m not gonna do that.”

Kennedy, a lifelong Democrat, is running a long-shot challenge to President Joe Biden, who is expected to have a glide path to the nomination, with much of the Democratic establishment behind him. 

My “plan is to win this election,” Kennedy said. “I don’t have a Plan B.”

The stance seems unlikely to endear him to Democratic voters, even those who are not thrilled about the idea of a second Biden term.

“I don’t know what I’ll do,” Kennedy said of what might happen if he doesn’t win the nomination. “Let’s see what happens in this campaign. Let’s see if people are living up to Democratic values.”

Kennedy said one of his purposes in running is to “remind the Democratic Party of, you know, what we are supposed to represent.”

“I’m a Democrat, this is who I am,” he said. “This is my identity, but I want my party back.”

In a post-town hall interview with NewsNation, Kennedy further explained his vision for the party and emphasized the importance of embracing debate.

“I wish that we could all differ with each other without hating each other and without being venomous and poisonous toward each other,” he said.

Kennedy said his willingness to hear opposing views comes from how he was raised.

“We were encouraged every single day … to argue at the dinner table and to take different positions on the issues and to be passionate about it and knowledgable about it,” he said.

In addition to Biden and Kennedy, self-help author Marianne Williamson is also running for the Democratic nomination.

The Democratic Party’s presidential nominee will be selected during the 2024 Democratic National Convention, which will take place from August 19-22, 2024, in Chicago.