KAMALA FACES A KENNEDY WRINKLE ON ROAD TO KAMALOT

WASHINGTON: The ardor of a rousing convention in Chicago that Democrats hoped would accelerate momentum for Kamala Harris was impeded to a degree on Friday when independent candidate Robert Kennedy Jr, scion of the famous political dynasty, suspended his campaign for the White House and threw his support behind Donald Trump.

Regarded as a third party insurgent who attracted voters disgruntled with both Biden and Trump early in the race, the nearly 15 per cent support for Kennedy at his peak moment had dropped to 5 per cent and was plunging after Kamala Harris became the Democrat nominee. The jury and pollsters are still out on whether he can take his remaining supporters to Trump or whether they will filter into the Kamala bandwagon.

There's not enough solid data yet but one poll shows Harris' lead against Trump dropped only marginally by 0.2 per cent (down from 3.3 to 3.1 when Kennedy was taken out of the equation). However the Trump camp believes even a marginal shift in closely-fought battleground state could win them the election.

Seen as betraying his political legacy by Democrats and his own siblings, Kennedy literally walked over to the Trump camp, joining the former President at a rally in Arizona on Friday evening just hours after he bailed out of the race. Trump, who with his customary flourish had previously called him a "radical left" candidate, opportunistically reversed course and welcomed him, saying he was a well respected candidate who raised important issues during his campaign.

Kennedy, 70, is the nephew of President John F. Kennedy and the son of his brother, former attorney general and US senator Robert Kennedy, both of whom were assassinated in the 1960s. He caught the attention of voters with his anti-vaccine crusade in the covid years after years of work as an environmental activist and litigator. Almost all his siblings and cousins are aligned with the Democratic Party and some even spoke at the DNC in Chicago, endorsing Kamala Harris, earlier this week.

Kennedy though had expressed various other frustrations with the Democratic Party after being thwarted in his bid for the party nomination, and gradually drifted towards Trump, even having secret conversations with him which were leaked. His campaign started falling apart after a series of bizarre statements he made, including admitting to leaving a dead bear in Central Park and claiming that a worm ate part of his brain.

Shortly before walking over to the MAGA camp, he attempted to negotiate a cabinet position in a prospective Harris White House but was rebuffed. Trump on the other hand has indicated he is open to the idea.

The Harris camp appears unconcerned by the development, seeing the new alliance as a sign of Trump's weakness and desperation after polls showed him sliding against Kamala after leading against Biden.