Kennedy family members endorse President Biden, in rebuke to RFK Jr. - The Boston Globe (2024)

As she introduced the president, Kerry Kennedy — the sister of RFK Jr. and daughter of former US attorney general Robert Kennedy — lauded Biden as “my hero.”

“President Biden has been a champion for all the rights and freedoms that my father and uncle stood for. That’s why nearly every single grandchild of Joe and Rose Kennedy supports Joe Biden,” Kennedy said, referring to her first cousins.

Then, as if to remove all doubt, she added: “That’s right: The Kennedy family endorses Joe Biden for president.”

For years, family members have criticized RFK Jr. for his role in spreading misinformation about vaccines. But it was the family black sheep’s decision to launch his campaign for president, running first as a “Kennedy Democrat,” and now as a third-party candidate, that has the Kennedy clan out against him in full force.

Democrats fear that in a close election when third-party candidates are expected to carry a rare degree of influence, Kennedy could hurt Biden more than former president Donald Trump, in part because of the powerful historical connections between the family and the Democratic Party.

As a result, the Kennedy family has engaged in increasingly public efforts to show their support for Biden and dismissed their relative’s bid as a dangerous disruption in the high-stakes 2024 election.

The family’s efforts to boost Biden over RFK Jr. are also rooted in a desire to protect the Kennedy legacy, said some who know the family.

“They’re about carrying on their father’s mission, and [RFK Jr.’s campaign] is not the way to do it,” said Phil Johnston, a former chair of the Massachusetts Democratic Party who has longstanding ties to the family. “Everyone who is supporting Biden has to be aware of the history of third-party candidates. This is a serious threat to Joe Biden’s candidacy, and I think the Kennedys feel that Biden represents their values more than Bobby Jr. does. Simple as that.”

“They feel that they can be helpful in avoiding a catastrophe for our country,” Johnston added. “This is something that the Kennedy family feels strongly about.”

Thursday’s event was months in the making. The Kennedy family initiated planning for the group endorsem*nt, according to a source familiar with the strategy who asked to speak anonymously to discuss internal plans.

In his presidential campaign, RFK Jr. has often invoked the Kennedy legacy — a tactic that has, at times, rankled members of his family.

In one instance, a controversial Super Bowl ad paid for by an outside group that supports RFK Jr. featured the candidate superimposed over his uncle John F. Kennedy, in a remake of one of the nation’s most famous political ads that some family members and critics said misappropriated the family name. RFK Jr. apologized, but the ad remains posted on his X account (formerly Twitter).

For some of Kennedy’s motley group of supporters, the dynasty is a draw; for other supporters, RFK Jr. is appealing as an antiestablishment outsider.

As the endorsem*nt news rolled out Thursday, the family avoided directly criticizing RFK Jr., but made clear they believe voting for him threatens the country.

Joe Kennedy III, the former congressman from Massachusetts who now serves as Biden’s special envoy to Northern Ireland, said in an interview with the Globe on Thursday that in this close election, “you have a vote for Joe Biden, and you’ve got a vote for anybody else.”

“If, for whatever reason, you aren’t sold on voting for the president, then you have to understand that the consequences of that vote means it’s going to increase support for Donald Trump,” he added.

Joe Kennedy would not say whether he had spoken to RFK Jr. directly about his campaign, and stopped short of calling on him to drop out of the race.

“I would never tell somebody that they can’t run or shouldn’t run,” he said. But third-party candidates “have to understand that there are consequences.”

“If they’re not going to be able to win the election, does their continued participation in a race increase the likelihood that somebody who has an antithetical perspective is more likely to win?” he said.

The family has become increasingly vocal since RFK Jr. launched his campaign last April.

In October, when RFK Jr. pivoted to running a third-party campaign, several family members denounced the decision as “perilous for our country.” Then, in March, dozens of Kennedy family members posed with Biden for a St. Patrick’s Day celebration at the White House, in a pointed snub of their relative.

At the event in Philadelphia, Biden emphasized the important resonance the Kennedy family legacy carries for him — as well as his closeness to his rival’s relatives. He said that he has a bust of Robert F. Kennedy Sr. in the Oval Office, and that earlier this month he had called RFK Jr.’s mother, Ethel, to wish her a happy birthday.

“What an incredible honor,” Biden said, repeating the phrase, “to have the support of the Kennedy family.”

Joe Kennedy III noted that Biden enjoys a personal relationship with many members of the family, and said he, and others, will continue to stump for Biden “however the campaign sees fit and however they think we can be useful.”

For his part, RFK Jr. brushed off the snub on Thursday, writing on X that “we are divided in our opinions but united in our love for each other.”

“I hold this as a possibility for America too,” he wrote. “Can we disagree without hating our opponents? Can we restore civility and respect to public discourse? I think we can.”

And RFK Jr. also took the opportunity to tout a notable victory for his campaign: He has gained access to the ballot in the battleground state of Michigan, state officials there confirmed. It’s not the first state where the candidate has confirmed he will appear on the ballot — doing so can be a challenge for third-party contenders — but it is a significant milestone given how essential Michigan could be in the general election.

Not all the Kennedy family has rejected RFK Jr.’s bid. His campaign manager, Amaryllis Fox, is his daughter-in-law. RFK Jr. said in his social media post Thursday that “many of my family members are working on and supportive of” his campaign, but the campaign did not respond to a request for a list.

Biden campaign officials listed more than a dozen Kennedy family members who are endorsing the president, but said many more are backing Biden this fall.

Emma Platoff can be reached at emma.platoff@globe.com. Follow her @emmaplatoff.