As entertaining as this is to watch, it is quite sad to see RFK Jr. dropout and endorse Trump.

Presidential Candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. makes a campaign announcement at a press conference on October 9, 2023, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The independent candidate is reportedly planning to suspend his campaign and endorse former President Donald Trump by the end of the week. Jessica Kourkounis/Getty Images

By Patrick Newton

This election cycle has been particularly tragic, with the lack of choice and voice for the citizens. I’ve considered voting for RFK Jr. My motivation to vote for him would admittedly have been as a dissenting vote against the system we are stuck with, but I do appreciate some of the things he has to say. Now I hear he is suspending his campaign and telling his supporters to vote for Trump?

So disappointing. I felt he represented a different voice, challenged the establishment, and could force our country to start having the important conversations we need (like how to end gerrymandering, fix the Citizens United decision, etc.). But Trump? If he believes Trump is the better choice between the two we have left, then God bless him. He is entitled to his opinion, and to be charitable, he is certainly not alone. I would rather see him continue to fight as a third-party candidate, however. Did it just dawn on him this week that he doesn’t have a chance to actually become the next POTUS? That was never really the point, or at least I didn’t think it was.

I imagine it is a tempting opportunity to stick his thumb in the eye of the DNC. They certainly have not been kind to him, considering his Democratic lineage and their suppressive campaign to keep third parties off the ballot. The irony is, if RFK Jr. tells his supporters to vote for Trump, it could likely lead to a Harris victory here in North Carolina in terms of the winner-take-all Electoral College model we have in the state.

In 2020, Trump won NC by less than 100,000 votes. How many people are planning to vote for RFK Jr. in NC? Five percent would be over 250,000 votes—enough to swing the result of the POTUS election. Of those couple hundred thousand voters who plan to vote for him but will be forced to choose between Trump or Harris if RFK Jr. backs out, how will they split? I haven’t done any polling, but from the RFK Jr. supporters I’ve met, they certainly seem more blue than red. So here’s what could happen: RFK Jr. backs out. A few hundred thousand people in NC now need to choose between Trump or Harris or some other third-party candidate. Most of them choose Harris, and Trump loses because he got the endorsement from RFK Jr.

As entertaining as this is to watch, it is quite sad. Don’t we deserve better? Join the Forward Party, and let’s keep working to find common ground and common-sense solutions for our citizens.