(LifeSiteNews) — The Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) has invited environmental activist and Democrat presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to speak at an event in Las Vegas later this month, prior to a rumored change of his partisan affiliation to Democrat to potentially run against both Joe Biden and Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential election.
“Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has a unique voice in advocating for the defunding of the weaponized bureaucracy and ensuring the constitutional right of medical freedom,” CPAC Chairman Matt Schlapp said of Kennedy’s invitation to the CPAC Investor Summit for Saving America, which spans October 18-21. “Kennedy joining such an important event is a reflection of the splintering of the left-wing coalition that has gone full woke Marxist to the point that traditional liberals don’t feel welcome anymore.”
Other speakers confirmed for the Vegas event include Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, failed Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake, and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, all noted allies of Trump, as well as former Trump adviser and podcaster Steve Bannon and Trump’s former ambassador to Germany and LGBT activist Ric Grenell.
The news was met with raised eyebrows among the conservative social media sphere, given that while Kennedy (nephew of the late President John F. Kennedy and son of the late Attorney General Robert Kennedy) has garnered praise along non-traditional lines and even among some conservatives for his harsh criticism of COVID-19 lockdowns, mandates, and vaccines, he retains far-left views on issues such as abortion, environmentalism, and affirmative action.
CPAC unironically hosting a pro-abortion, anti-Secondment amendment Democrat who wants to put people to death for “climate denialism” is a jump the shark moment.
When nothing matters, you get nothing. We deserve to lose.
— Bonchie (@bonchieredstate) October 6, 2023
CPAC started going downhill when it began promoting “influencers” more than actual leaders.
— Paula Bolyard (@pbolyard) October 6, 2023
Hope he opens up his speech with his plan to jail “climate deniers” https://t.co/TQQHupuLZX
— John Now at Friendster Ekdahl (@JohnEkdahl) October 6, 2023
For months, Kennedy has enjoyed favorable treatment from many conservatives and Republicans, including both pro-Trump and anti-Trump camps. But that has begun to change following rumors of his third-party bid, which could be announced on Monday, and Kennedy’s stated belief that he would take more votes from Trump than Biden if added to a potential rematch. This weekend, the Republican National Committee began launching negative clips about Kennedy:
In 2015, RFK, Jr. said he was asked by noted antisemite Louis Farrakhan — who he called a “truly great partner” — “to address the issue of vaccines and African American and vaccine safety” pic.twitter.com/6ojSVvqgB9
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) October 7, 2023
RFK, Jr.: “I think the Green New Deal — and all that stuff — is important. It’s good. We ought to be pursuing it.”
Then he endorses carbon taxes to “transition” the economy. pic.twitter.com/WkrcJPSnp7
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) October 7, 2023
As detailed by LifeSiteNews on October 3, actual polling on how Kennedy would factor into the election is currently scarce, but what little has been conducted so far suggests a slight boost to Trump in the national popular vote, with other previous polling indicating that more Democrats are open to supporting a third-party candidate than Republicans.
The Trump campaign itself may have reached the opposite conclusion, however, according to a Semafor report published Friday that cites Trump insiders as saying they are preparing opposition research to deploy against Kennedy’s “very liberal views,” based on internal polling that reportedly suggests he would pull more votes from Trump, who still embraces his administration’s controversial COVID-19 vaccines, than from Biden.
“It’s single digits, but it’s enough where it counts to make a difference,” according to one unnamed Trump insider.
The Kennedy factor hangs over a race in which both parties are contending with significant concerns about their own candidates, from Trump’s multiple legal battles severely impacting his ability to campaign in a general election to Biden’s advanced age and pattern of public confusion raising fears of a public episode that convinces voters he is incapable of the job.
Biden critics on the left want the president to step aside for reelection in favor of a younger Democrat such as California Gov. Gavin Newsom; Trump critics on the right advocate nominating Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a fierce critic of the medical establishment, instead of Trump.
Trump maintains a commanding lead over DeSantis for the nomination, but while he leads Biden in some national polls, he is projected to lose the Electoral College by election forecaster RacetotheWH. The next election is more than a year away, and numerous future variables – Biden’s health, Trump’s trials, a Kennedy run, new national crises – could impact all these outcomes in either direction.
CPAC, meanwhile, has long been considered the premiere venue for conservative candidates and personalities, but in recent years has come under fire over decisions such as embracing LGBT activist “conservatives,” as well as allegations of homosexual misconduct against Schlapp.