Robert F. Kennedy Jr., 69, a member of the famous American political dynasty and a prominent militant of the anti-vaccine movement, filed his documents to run for the 2024 presidential elections in the USA. Kennedy Jr. will seek the Democratic nomination for president, according to a statement filed Wednesday with the US Federal Election Commission. Incumbent President Joe Biden (80) has not yet officially announced his intention to run again in 2024, but he is expected to announce his candidacy for a second term. Kennedy Jr. is the  nephew of President John F. Kennedy and the son of Senator Robert F. Kennedy, both of whom were assassinated while in office. Kennedy Jr., an environmental lawyer, has been a fervent supporter of anti-vaccination conspiracy theories for two decades and was propelled to the forefront during the COVID-19 pandemic. He is now the second official contender for the White House among the Democrats.

Kennedy had tweeted last month that he was considering a presidential run. “If it looks like I can raise the money and mobilize enough people to win, I’ll jump in the race,” he said. His tweet also pointed supporters to his website: “Let Bobby know you want to see his leadership in the White House,” the site says while asking for donations. As an environmental lawyer, Kennedy worked with a group that led the Hudson River cleanup. He also worked for the Natural Resources Defense Council and co-founded an environmental law firm. Should he go through with his presidential bid, Kennedy would be the latest in a long line of family members to enter politics. His sister Kathleen served as lieutenant governor of Maryland from 1995 to 2003. His brother, Joseph, was a congressman from Massachusetts from 1987 to 1999. And more recently, his brother Chris Kennedy was an unsuccessful candidate for governor of Illinois in 2018. The last Kennedy to hold elected office was his nephew, former Massachusetts Rep. Joe Kennedy III, who lost a Democratic Senate primary in 2020. (He is now the US special envoy for Northern Ireland.) Caroline Kennedy, the daughter of former President Kennedy, is currently the US ambassador to Australia. 

The 2024 Democratic presidential race is only beginning to take shape, with President Joe Biden expected to announce his bid for a second term. Last month, author Marianne Williamson launched a second longshot campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination. On the Republican side, former President Donald Trump jump-started the race for the party nomination by announcing his third bid for the White House last year. Former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley, former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy are also in the race, while other well-known contenders, including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and former Vice President Mike Pence, are weighing bids of their own.

By Paul Bumman