Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is running for president as an independent, he announced on Monday.<\/p>\n

“I’m here to declare myself an independent candidate for president of the United States,” Kennedy told<\/a> supporters at a rally in Philadelphia. “I’m here to join you in making a new Declaration of Independence for our entire nation.”<\/p>\n

Kennedy had previously challenged President Joe Biden from within the Democratic Party; his exit means that Marianne Williamson is now Biden’s sole primary Democratic contender.<\/p>\n

RFK Jr.’s declaration is notable for another reason: It ends speculation that he might seek the Libertarian Party’s presidential nomination. Kennedy is not a libertarian and historically has held positions on a variety of issues that are fairly anathema to libertarianism, including his views on environmental regulation<\/a>, affirmative action,<\/a> and until recently, gun control<\/a>. But he is an outspoken opponent of COVID-19 mandates<\/a>\u2014as well as the COVID-19 vaccines\u2014and a critic of American foreign policy with respect to the Ukraine-Russia war<\/a>.<\/p>\n

These last two stances have endeared him to some in the Libertarian Party (L.P.), who hoped that he was moving in a libertarian direction on a variety of issues. RFK Jr. attended both PorcFest and FreedomFest, two yearly libertarian festivals, and seemed to be sincerely courting independent voters of both populist and libertarian bents. He also fielded questions from Reason\u00a0<\/em>and others about his evolving views.<\/p>\n