‘A lot of people get stuck in the idea of rooting for their team, like it’s a football team, and not paying attention to the issues,’ says a California voter.
Michelle Cotterman often gets the same response when she tells people: “I’m voting for Bobby Kennedy.”
Casting a ballot for independent and third-party candidates “is a waste,” they say.
Ms. Cotterman’s support for Robert F. Kennedy Jr. reflects one reason why his independent presidential bid has Democrats and Republicans worried that he could cost President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump valuable votes in a tightly contested election.
“I disagree that voting for Bobby is throwing my vote away. It’s time we stop picking the lesser of two evils and support the candidate we believe in,” Ms. Cotterman told The Epoch Times.
“Just think if every person who wanted to support an independent or third-party candidate actually did when they voted. That would change the political landscape, and that candidate could win. I’m voting for Bobby Kennedy, and I believe that is the right choice.”
Ms. Cotterman backed Mr. Kennedy’s decision last October to leave the Democratic primary and run as an independent.
“He no longer recognized the Democrat Party of old and felt alienated because they left their values behind. I respect how straightforward and honest he is, and the courage he showed [in] making the decision to become an independent,” she said.
A year ago on April 19, 2023, Mr. Kennedy stood before a crowd in Boston and announced his candidacy to challenge President Biden for the 2024 Democratic Party nomination.
Mr. Kennedy cited his intent to unify the country and help restore traditional values to a party that had “lost its way” since his uncle, John F. Kennedy, was president in the early 1960s and his father, Robert F. Kennedy, ran for president in 1968.
At the time, most political pundits and officials from the Democrat and Republican parties dismissed Mr. Kennedy as a fringe candidate. In the early months of his campaign, though, he gained support from conservatives, moderate Republicans, independents, and moderate Democrats.
