Plans to challenge Joe Biden for Democratic pick

Robert F Kennedy Jr, the son of assassinated US Senator Robert F Kennedy and nephew of President John F Kennedy, is making a bid for the White House.

The 69-year-old environmental lawyer is seeking the Democratic pick to run for President in 2024 and has already filed election paperwork to run for US president in 2024 as a Democrat.

The BBC has reported that campaign treasurer, John E Sullivan, confirmed the filing on Wednesday (April 5). Kennedy is an outspoken anti-vaccine campaigner. Both Democratic and Republican parties hold their own contests – called primaries – to find their presidential nominee.

Kennedy will be a rank outsider for the Democratic nomination, as incumbent US President Joe Biden has indicated he will run for re-election, though he has not yet formally declared his candidacy. He was previously expected to launch his campaign in early April, but aides say his timeline has shifted.

Last month, another Democrat, Marianne Williamson, joined the presidential race. On the Republican side, Donald Trump was first to declare his candidacy and he has been joined by others including former US Ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley.

In March, Kennedy said on Twitter he was considering a run for president.

At the time, he said: “If I run, my top priority will be to end the corrupt merger between state and corporate power that has ruined our economy, shattered the middle class, polluted our landscapes and waters, poisoned our children, and robbed us of our values and freedoms.”