Dem campaign call reveals panic mode over RFK Jr.'s White House bid, scramble to save Biden re-election hopes

 A call held by the Democratic National Committee (DNC) on Tuesday afternoon revealed that Democrats are in a state of panic as they struggle to save President Biden's re-election hopes from the threat of the campaign of independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Have been.

The call with members of the press took place shortly after Kennedy announced tech entrepreneur Nicole Shanahan as his vice presidential running mate at a rally in Oakland, California, and included Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Calif., Pennsylvania Lt. Governor Austin Davis was also involved. and Michigan State Senator Mallory McMorrow, who were all concerned that Kennedy would ruin any chances of Biden's re-election.

"We are doing everything in our power to re-elect President Biden and Vice President Harris. It is important that we take seriously every potential obstacle to that goal. And let me be clear, in this election That's exactly what Robert F. Kennedy is. He's a pervert," Davis said.

Who is Nicole Shanahan? Meet RFK Jr., the wealthy entrepreneur chosen as his vice presidential running mate

McMorrow agreed, saying it was important for him to be on the call to share "how horrific this campaign is and what it really means at the grassroots level for Michigan."

"Him being in the running means it's more likely that Donald Trump will become president again," he said.

Earlier in the call, Garcia railed against Kennedy as "a tin foil hat conspiracy theorist," referencing his past skepticism toward vaccines, particularly those aimed at containing the COVID-19 pandemic. Had to compete. He also accused Shanahan of having an "anti-health agenda", despite a large part of his introduction as Kennedy's running mate being focused on the health of Americans, especially children.

"He's actually turning to Trump mega-donors to support this spoiler campaign. I think he's probably interested in trying to get Donald Trump elected. That's probably what it's about. And A lot of us aren't sure, but he's someone who should not be taken too seriously as a serious person. I mean, certainly his campaign is quite dangerous," Garcia said of Kennedy's candidacy. Said, launching his own conspiracy theory.

His reference to former President Donald Trump's donors supporting Kennedy was likely referring to Timothy Mellon, heir to the Mellon banking fortune, who has given millions to outside groups supporting Trump's third run for the presidency. Last year, Mellon donated millions to American Values 2024, a super PAC supporting Kennedy.

Garcia continued to emphasize Kennedy's previous position on vaccines, calling his bid for the presidency "disgusting and shameful" and calling on him to end his "terrible campaign."

Davis also focused heavily on Kennedy's past vaccine rhetoric, but reiterated Garcia's theories on the origins of Kennedy's campaign.

"The fact that he was put into this race by Donald Trump's top supporters and that he is being funded by Trump's biggest donor in this race is not just a coincidence," he said. "He has no realistic path to victory in Pennsylvania. He can only take votes away from President Biden and make it easier for Donald Trump to win, and we can't let that happen."

Davis accused Kennedy of "deliberately" targeting black people "with dangerous lies and conspiracy theories" about vaccines, and claimed that any suggestion of her being an ally of the black community is "blatantly offensive." , and it's offensive."

McMorrow later said, "We can't afford to have Donald Trump back in the White House if people don't see RFK for what he is, which is Donald Trump with the Kennedy name on it."

He expressed concern that Kennedy – like 2016 Green Party presidential nominee Jill Stein – could upset a key swing state like Michigan for Biden.

"You don't need significant support for Donald Trump to win the election. We saw this play out in 2016 where Jill Stein got 50,000 votes and Hillary Clinton lost by 10,000 votes in Michigan. So this is the type of campaign - And Kennedy should be smart enough to know better. But I don't think he does. I think his ego is in the way,'' she said.

Earlier this month, the DNC began an effort to defuse the threat from third-party candidates, namely Kennedy, as a team that is expected to actively counter with legal challenges and opposition research.

Democrat strategist Lis Smith, who helped lead Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg's 2020 campaign and is consulting for the DNC on the project, set off a storm of ex posts and reposts after Kennedy's Tuesday speech, in which the candidate Called Shanahan a "spoiler" and shared a video in which he accused Shanahan of getting his name on the ticket by donating millions to promote Kennedy before announcing him as his running mate.

Democrats weren't the only ones going after Kennedy on Tuesday. The Trump-aligned super PAC Make America Great Again, Inc. released a statement that read, "Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is a far-left radical who supports reparations, the Green New Deal, and a ban on fracking. "It's not surprising he would choose a Biden donor leftist as his running mate."

The group denouncing Shanahan as a Biden donor was in reference to her support of the president in his 2020 bid for the White House before turning to Kennedy this election cycle.

Recent polls have shown that Kennedy, Stein, and independent candidate Dr. Cornel West will receive significant support from both Biden and Trump, but Biden appears to be most likely to lose the vote.

The latest RealClearPolitics average of surveys has Kennedy reaching 15% in a three-way race against Biden and Trump. The average shows Trump is ahead of Biden by 4 points.

Kennedy's support in the five-way race, including West and Stein, is at 11%, with Trump holding a 2-point advantage over Biden.