Anti-vaxxer RFK Jr. files to run for president as Democrat

Editor’s Note: We’ve updated this article to reflect that the organization Robert F. Kennedy Jr. heads is called the Children’s Health Defense. We regret the error.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a longtime anti-vaccine activist, filed paperwork Wednesday to run for president as a Democrat.

Kennedy filed a statement of candidacy on Wednesday to challenge President Biden, who has yet to formally announce his bid for reelection, in the 2024 Democrat primary, The Associated Press reported. Kennedy had launched a fundraising campaign last month on social media to help him “decide whether to run for President.”

“If it looks like I can raise the money and mobilize enough people to win, I’ll jump in the race,” he tweeted last month. “If I run, my top priority will be to end the corrupt merger between state and corporate power that has ruined our economy, shattered the middle class, polluted our landscapes and waters, poisoned our children, and robbed us of our values and freedoms. Together we can restore America’s democracy.”

Kennedy, who is the nephew of former President John F. Kennedy and son of former Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, heads the Children’s Health Defense, an anti-vaccine organization that often promotes unproven theories about the safety of vaccines. It has received strong criticism for its misinformation.

The organization also doubled its profits during the COVID-19 pandemic, when many people grew hesitant over the safety and efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines, according to The Associated Press.

Kennedy faced repercussions from social media platforms about his promotion of conspiracy theories about COVID-19 and vaccines. Instagram removed his account in 2021 after he shared “debunked claims about the coronavirus or vaccines.” Meta also took down the Children’s Health Defense Facebook page last August for “repeatedly” violating the platform’s polices on COVID-19 and vaccine policies.

Author Marianne Williamson also announced a bid to run in Democratic race for the White House last month.

– Updated: 9:05 p.m.