SALT LAKE CITY — Running for president as an independent candidate, Robert F Kennedy Jr. continued his campaign Thursday with a stop in Salt Lake City.
Kennedy has been a lifelong Democrat, but for the past decade he said he’s been drifting away from the party. In October, he announced he would be running as an independent for president.
According to Kennedy’s campaign, Utah has the first ballot access deadline in the country, so they are trying to collect more than 1,000 signatures in the next three weeks. Standing in front of about 700 people in downtown Salt Lake City, Kennedy said he worked to get the support he needed to be on a presidential ballot in 2024.
“My plan for the next 12 months and the over the next 8 years in the White House, is to end this division among regular Americans," he said.
Kennedy spoke on stage and interacted with supporters, taking pictures with every person who stood in line, showing them that he wanted to do what it took to give people an independent option.
“I’m talking about the same issues here as I talk elsewhere - constitutional rights, including religious freedoms, freedom of speech, rebuilding American middle class, and the chronic disease epidemic which is particularly acute here in Utah,” said Kennedy.
“I’ve always been a Kennedy supporter,” said Kathy Bonner, who lives in Utah. “I used to be a Democrat, but now I’m more like an independent myself. Because I want to vote for who will do a good job. And like he says, the parties, they’re no longer Democrat and Republicans. So having him as an independent I think is great.”
People lined up around the block waiting to hear from Kennedy.
"We waited out in the cold for about 40 minutes and I’m not dressed for the cold," said Bill Sattree, "so we got in line, and it was a great crowd. I was looking at the crowd, seeing who was around you. Just real people, real people that probably want solutions."
Beth Peacock came all the way from Grand Junction, Colorado to listen to what Kennedy had to say.
“We are Kennedy supporters, die hard," she said. "We support him til the end, we just believe in what he stands for.”
Kennedy spoke about his concern with the homelessness crisis in the country, issues at the border, big corporations taking out the smaller players, criticizing the COVID-19 lockdowns, the environment, and finding middle ground.
“Everybody, Republicans and Democrats, everybody wants to take care of our veterans, nobody wants to hear that veterans families are on food stamps while they’re off fighting for our country, everybody wants to make sure that they have good medical, everybody wants to make sure that our kids have the best education everybody wants that education system that works for our children,” said Kennedy.)
