Super PAC backing RFK Jr. brings in $6M-plus in July

A super PAC backing Democratic presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. brought in more than $6 million in fundraising last month, a press release from American Values 2024 announced Monday.

The super PAC said it raised $6.47 million in July, bringing its total fundraising for Kennedy to about $16.82 million. The press release noted Democrats and Republicans have donated to American Values 2024, including longtime GOP mega-donor Timothy Mellon and Gavin de Becker, a security consultant to Jeff Bezos and other celebrities.

“The fact that Kennedy gets so much bipartisan support tells me two things: that he’s the one candidate who can unite the country and root out corruption and that he’s the one Democrat who can win in the general election,” Mellon said in the press release.

The press release also noted donations from Abby Rockefeller, who, along with husband Lee Halprin, has long supported left-wing causes.

“I’ve been voting for Democratic candidates all my life. In seeking his party’s nomination, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. has cast himself into the waters of truth,” she said in a statement. “It’s a great relief and gives me hope.”

De Becker said Democrats need a candidate they can be excited about.

“Americans see enthusiastic crowds at Trump events, and they see no Biden events at all,” de Becker said in a statement. “We Democrats sorely need a candidate people can be enthusiastic about, someone brave enough to tell the truth and someone who understands our regulatory agencies because he has litigated against their corruption for years.

Kennedy, an anti-vaccine activist and nephew of former President Kennedy, launched his campaign to challenge President Biden earlier this year. Since then, he has sparked concern among Democrats that he is using his platform to spread theories about politics and science without evidence.

He recently made headlines for suggesting the COVID-19 virus was designed to avoid Chinese and Jewish people. Days later, he was invited by Republicans to testify on Capitol Hill on topics like censorship and the “weaponization” of government.

Tony Lyons, the co-founder of the super PAC, said donations poured in during his testimony. He accused the Biden administration of seeking to censor the candidate, paint him with false accusations and “illegally” attack him from the White House press room.

“We saw $5M in donations come in DURING the congressional testimony by RFK, Jr.,” he said. “We will see that same kind of reaction from donors each time the DNC and the Biden administration undertake dirty tricks against this presidential candidate.”