BOSTON, MA—APRIL 19, 2023—Robert F. Kennedy Jr. today announced his bid to run for the Democratic nomination for President of the United States to an overflow, standing-room-only crowd at the Boston Park Plaza in Boston, Massachusetts.
In his speech, Kennedy emphasized priorities of clean government, civil liberties, peace, and economic revitalization. Above all, he invoked the theme of unity.
“During this campaign and during my administration my objective will be to make as many Americans as possible forget that they are Republicans or Democrats and remember that they are Americans,” Kennedy said. “We need to focus on the values we share instead of the issues that divide us.”
Strongly committed to civil liberties, Kennedy emphasized the importance of honest government and freedom of speech.
“The government/media strategy of censoring dissonant voices is not only antithetical to our most fundamental values, it is counterproductive in that it fuels the flames of polarization, alienation, and anger,” Kennedy said.
On a related note, he observed that “the blizzard of misinformation that is now inundating our democracy will end only when the government and the media start telling the truth to Americans.”
Kennedy was born on January 17, 1954, in Washington, DC, and is the third of 11 children of the late Sen. Robert Kennedy and Ethel Skakel Kennedy. He is the nephew of America’s 35th President, John F. Kennedy.
Kennedy has carried on his family’s legacy of public service by devoting himself to environmental causes and children’s welfare. He struck those themes in his speech, stating, “Good environmental policy is always identical to good economic policy if we measure our economy based on how it produces jobs over the long term and how it preserves the value of the assets of our community.”
His reputation as a resolute defender of the environment and children’s health stems from hundreds of successful legal actions. TIME Magazine named Kennedy its “Hero for the Planet” for his leadership in the fight to restore the Hudson River.
Kennedy is an award-winning writer and New York Times’ bestselling author.
Learn more at Kennedy24.com.
Text of Congressman Kucinich’s introduction of Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.:
I’m a Kennedy Democrat
Hi, I’m Dennis Kucinich, and I’m a Kennedy Democrat!
What is a Kennedy Democrat?
I found out when my father, Frank J. Kucinich, Senior, a lifetime member of Teamsters Local 407, and father of seven, took me to a Labor rally in Cleveland to see the Democratic nominee, U. S. Senator, John F. Kennedy of Massachusetts, speak.
It was my first political event, unforgettable for Senator Kennedy’s ringing testimonial to freedom’s holy light and economic security for all Americans.
And although it was almost 63 years ago, the standard that Senator Kennedy held up on that day, for peace and prosperity, and held high throughout his presidency, was later picked up by his brother, US Senator from New York, Robert F. Kennedy.
And that same standard, of an America that is ever evolving and moving along an upward path, the standard of a Kennedy Democrat, is ready to once again be raised, this time by Senator Robert F. Kennedy’s namesake, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.
What is a Kennedy Democrat?
A Kennedy Democrat fearlessly protects the rights of working men and women.
A Kennedy Democrat protects the Constitution of the United States.
A Kennedy Democrat defends Americans’ Civil Liberties and the rights of all the people.
A Kennedy Democrat believes in the power of diplomacy when the fate not only of the nation, but the earth itself hangs in the balance.
A Kennedy Democrat meets adversity to seek unity.
A Kennedy Democrat is unbought and unbossed.
A Kennedy Democrat puts country ahead of self.
I am a Kennedy Democrat. You are Kennedy Democrats. We are Kennedy Democrats.
Under the dynamic leadership of Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., we will restore the Democratic party.
We will work with Republicans and all Americans, in the words of Lincoln to “bind up our nation’s wounds.”
Under the healing leadership of a President Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., we will become a truly re-united states, through faith in America, through good works, and strength through peace.
Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. understands the trials and tribulations of many Americans. He understands that personal victories occur when one resolves to be a better person, works at it every day, removing self-imposed barriers, and through that spiritual growth becomes ever better equipped to guide our nation’s transformation.
The direction toward a more perfect union begins today, with one individual, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., who today aligns his path with that of the United States of America.
When you look at his record as one of the great environmentalists, you come to understand that Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. is the Paul Revere of our times, moving from town to town, warning us when our water is unsafe to drink, warning us when our air is unsafe to breathe, warning us when our food is unsafe to eat, and warning us when pharmaceuticals are unsafe to use and in each case showing the nation the way to a healthier quantity and quality of life.
His life is one of selfless dedication toward public health and the health of the planet.
At a time when powerful interests can use the media to smear a good man who has devoted his life to the public good, it takes an abundance of courage to continue to stand up and speak out.
Today we have a rendezvous with history and destiny.
Just as America called forth John F. Kennedy to “Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.”
Just as our nation called forth Senator Robert F. Kennedy, to look into the future and to dream dreams that never were and ask: “Why not?”
So, too, today, we call forth Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. to take up the mantle of national leadership, to rally us, to help heal us, to unite us, to show the way towards a peaceful nation and a peaceful world.
Today he begins his determined stand, as must we all if we care to make a difference, mindful of the prescient words of his great father, Senator Robert F. Kennedy, who once said:
“Each time a man or a woman stands up for an ideal, acts to improve the lot of others or strikes out against injustice, he or she sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring, those ripples can create a current which can sweep down, the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance.”
Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the next President of the United States, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.
