RFK Jr. Is Now Running for President as an Independent After Democratic Campaign Failed to Take Off

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced Monday that he is leaving the Democratic Party and will now be running for president as an independent.

The 69-year-old nephew of late President John F. Kennedy and son of late U.S. Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy announced his party switch at a rally in Philadelphia on Monday, as he stood before signs reading "Kennedy 2024: Declare Your Independence."

The announcement comes after RFK Jr. was met with sagging poll numbers among Democratic voters since he launched his 2024 presidential campaign in April.

Pundits have said that Kennedy could prove to be a "spoiler" candidate of sorts, as his party switch now threatens to pull votes away from both Democratic incumbent Joe Biden and his likely Republican challenger, Donald Trump, in the 2024 election.

A recent Reuters/Ipsos poll found that, as an independent, Kennedy could draw the support of about one in seven U.S. voters of all party backgrounds.

Known for spouting debunked misinformation about COVID-19 and vaccinations, RFK Jr. has in recent months made headlines for echoing antisemitic discourse that Jews engineered and spread the COVID-19 virus.

The candidate has also drawn attention for butting heads with his own family members, many of whom are close with the Biden family.

In his own official campaign launch, RFK Jr. himself acknowledged that his family members have "long personal relationships" with President Biden.

"My whole family including myself have long personal relationships with President Biden ... and many of them just plain disagree with me on issues like censorship and war and public health," Kennedy said at the time. "They are entitled to their beliefs...and I love them back."

His sister Kerry has distanced herself from his political aspirations, writing in a statement issued after his campaign launch, "I love my brother Bobby, but I do not share or endorse his opinions on many issues, including the COVID pandemic, vaccinations, and the role of social media platforms in policing false information."

She also made clear that, though he shares a name with RFK, Bobby Jr.'s views do not reflect "or influence" the work of RFK Human Rights, the organization she runs that is named after her father.

Bobby Jr.'s youngest brother, Doug Kennedy, a correspondent for FOX News Channel, previously told PEOPLE that his brother "has immense political talent," but that while he's loved in the family, "not everyone agrees with his positions."

More recently,  Jack Schlossberg — the grandson of JFK and son of Caroline Kennedy — slammed him on Instagram, calling RFK Jr.'s candidacy "an embarrassment."

Schlossberg, a 30-year-old attorney, made headlines for the video he posted in May, in which he says: "President John F. Kennedy is my grandfather and his legacy is important. It’s about a lot more than Camelot and conspiracy theories. It’s about public service and courage. It’s about civil rights, the Cuban missile crisis, and landing a man on the moon.”

Elsewhere in the video, Schlossberg said President Biden has focused on "the issues that matter," adding: "If my cousin, Bobby Kennedy Jr., cared about any of them, he would support Joe Biden, too. Instead, he’s trading in on Camelot, celebrity, conspiracy theories, and conflict for personal gain and fame."