Talk:Robert F. Kennedy Jr. 2024 presidential campaign

Updates to Abortion and Fertility MedicineSection

Hello, the "Abortion and fertility medicine" section under the "Political Positions" tab could be updated to better reflect the latest information and the candidate's actual position on the subject.

CURRENT:

Speaking to reporters at the Iowa State Fair in August 2023, Kennedy expressed support for a national ban on abortion after the first three months. He elaborated further, "Once a child is viable, outside the womb, I think then the state has an interest in protecting the child." A spokesman from his campaign later released a statement saying that Kennedy had misunderstood the question because it had been asked in a noisy and crowded exhibition hall. However, Kennedy confirmed his position: "I believe a decision to abort a child should be up to the women during the first three months of life". Asked if there should be a federal ban on abortion at 15 or 21 weeks, he said "Yes".

Running mate Nicole Shanahan has been a vocal opponent of in vitro fertilization, calling it "one of the biggest lies that’s being told about women’s health today." She has instead advocated for women interested in having children to increase their exposure to sunlight, among other unconventional methods.

UPDATED:

As a candidate for 2024 U.S. President, Kennedy has cited his firm support for bodily autonomy and the judicial principles established in the 1973 case of Roe v. Wade, arguing abortion should be a legal option for women to best determine for themselves on an individual basis as opposed to government regulation. He has stated a key part of his position is his view that abortion cannot be considered in isolation from support for mothers and families, citing universal free childcare and other economic relief policies as ways to create more hospitable conditions for young families and to reduce the rate of individual abortions. [https://www.kennedy24.com/faq ///https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/interactive/2023/presidential-candidates-2024-policies-issues/robert-kennedy-jr-abortion/]

Speaking to NBC reporter Ali Vitali at the Iowa State Fair in August 2023, Kennedy described his general belief that the decision to abort a pregnancy should be up to the woman within the first three months. He went on to say, “once a child is viable outside the womb, I think then the state has an interest in protecting that child,” before emphasizing his personal support as fundamentally being in favor for medical freedom and individual rights. Asked if he would sign a federal ban on abortions performed after the first 15 or 21 weeks, if theoretically passed by Congress, he answered “yes.” His campaign later released a statement saying, "Today, Mr. Kennedy misunderstood a question posed to him by a NBC reporter in a crowded, noisy exhibit hall at the Iowa State Fair....Mr. Kennedy's position on abortion is that it is always the woman's right to choose. He does not support legislation banning abortion." /// [https://www.politico.com/news/2023/08/13/rfk-jr-backs-15-week-federal-ban-on-abortion-00111017 https://www.politico.com/news/2023/08/13/rfk-jr-backs-15-week-federal-ban-on-abortion-00111017]

In March 2024, Kennedy told Reuters that he thinks abortions are tragic, but that it should be a woman’s right throughout the pregnancy. [https://www.reuters.com/world/us/rfk-jr-abortion-vaccines-housing-foreign-policy-2024-03-20/]

Running mate Nicole Shanahan has been a vocal opponent of in vitro fertilization, calling it "one of the biggest lies that’s being told about women’s health today." She cites her personal experience with the procedure as cause for her criticisms, having described her difficulties as an IVF candidate before going on to conceive her child naturally. She also attributes this experience as being the motivation for her years of personal advocacy and financial support of research in reproductive longevity, exploring alternatives to IVF, including the benefits of no-cost interventions such as increased exposure to sunlight. [https://www.politico.com/news/2024/03/28/robert-f-kennedy-vice-president-nicole-shanahan-ivf-00149523] JLuzPaz (talk) 22:12, 16 April 2024 (UTC)

Update the Ballot Access Map?

Can someone update the ballot access map, Natural Law Party nominated Robert F Kennedy Jr. as their candidate.

Also, Robert F Kennedy Jr. now has the signatures for the Iowa ballot.

Also, why was Nevada removed? Buildershed (talk) 14:32, 19 April 2024 (UTC)

Extended-confirmed-protected edit request on 22 April 2024

In the "endorsements" section, Congressman Dennis Kucinich is listed as Kennedy's campaign manager. Kucinich left the position recently but still supports the campaign. So in that section, he should listed as the "former campaign manager" or not given any specific distinction RickStrate2029 (talk) 13:01, 22 April 2024 (UTC)

 Done Good catch! -- M.boli (talk) 15:37, 22 April 2024 (UTC)

Extended-confirmed-protected edit request on 24 April 2024

Nicole Shanahan and Cenk Uygur should be added to the endorsement section. It is precedent for the running mate to be included in the endorsements, and Cenk Uygur has recently been quoted as endorsing Kennedy (contact me for source if you can't find it). RickStrate2029 (talk) 12:28, 24 April 2024 (UTC)

@RickStrate2029, you do need to provide sources. I am not aware of such a precedent that running mates being automatically considered endorsements; please cite a source for this precedent or quote prior consensus from previous discussions. In the past sources were usually cited for such endorsements (see Pence's endorsement in List of Donald Trump 2016 presidential campaign endorsements and Kaine's endorsement in List of Hillary Clinton 2016 presidential campaign political endorsements for example). As for Cenk Uygur's endorsement, the only two articles I could find are by Fox News and RealClearPolitics, but Fox News is generally unreliable and RCP has no consensus, per WP:RSP. The articles also only say that he is considering voting for Kennedy and it's mostly a feeling of choosing the lesser evil, which doesn't sound like a formal endorsement yet. Liu1126 (talk) 16:21, 24 April 2024 (UTC)

It appears I am mistaken in regards to Cenk Uygur, you found the same source as I did and you're correct, it's only a consideration of support, not full support.

As for Nicole Shanahan, the precedent for adding the running mate in the endorsements sections seems to be debated as of now. See Gary John 2016 presidential campaign endorsements, Ted Cruz 2016 presidential campaign endorsements, Gary Johnson 2012 presidential campaign, and Mitt Romney 2012 presidential campaign endorsements for reference of examples of inclusion. Since precedent is somewhat unclear, there should likely be a more detailed discussion on whether or not to add Shanahan to the section. RickStrate2029 (talk) 11:50, 25 April 2024 (UTC)

 Not done: please provide reliable sources that support the change you want to be made. Jamedeus (talk) 18:08, 24 April 2024 (UTC)

Extended-confirmed-protected edit request on 25 April 2024

Hello, it has been over a week now, so I am submitting this request through the template. The "Abortion and fertility medicine" section under the "Political Positions" tab should be updated to better reflect the latest information and the candidate's actual position on the subject. Thanks!

CURRENT: Speaking to reporters at the Iowa State Fair in August 2023, Kennedy expressed support for a national ban on abortion after the first three months. He elaborated further, "Once a child is viable, outside the womb, I think then the state has an interest in protecting the child." A spokesman from his campaign later released a statement saying that Kennedy had misunderstood the question because it had been asked in a noisy and crowded exhibition hall. However, Kennedy confirmed his position: "I believe a decision to abort a child should be up to the women during the first three months of life". Asked if there should be a federal ban on abortion at 15 or 21 weeks, he said "Yes".

Running mate Nicole Shanahan has been a vocal opponent of in vitro fertilization, calling it "one of the biggest lies that’s being told about women’s health today." She has instead advocated for women interested in having children to increase their exposure to sunlight, among other unconventional methods.

SUGGESTED: As a candidate for 2024 U.S. President, Kennedy has cited his firm support for bodily autonomy and the judicial principles established in the 1973 case of Roe v. Wade, arguing abortion should be a legal option for women to best determine for themselves on an individual basis as opposed to government regulation. He has stated a key part of his position is his view that abortion cannot be considered in isolation from support for mothers and families, citing universal free childcare and other economic relief policies as ways to create more hospitable conditions for young families and to reduce the rate of individual abortions.

Speaking to NBC reporter Ali Vitali at the Iowa State Fair in August 2023, Kennedy described his general belief that the decision to abort a pregnancy should be up to the woman within the first three months. He went on to say, “once a child is viable outside the womb, I think then the state has an interest in protecting that child,” before emphasizing his personal support as fundamentally being in favor for medical freedom and individual rights. Asked if he would sign a federal ban on abortions performed after the first 15 or 21 weeks, if theoretically passed by Congress, he answered “yes.” His campaign later released a statement saying, "Today, Mr. Kennedy misunderstood a question posed to him by a NBC reporter in a crowded, noisy exhibit hall at the Iowa State Fair....Mr. Kennedy's position on abortion is that it is always the woman's right to choose. He does not support legislation banning abortion."

In March 2024, Kennedy told Reuters that he thinks abortions are tragic, but that it should be a woman’s right throughout the pregnancy.

Running mate Nicole Shanahan has been a vocal opponent of in vitro fertilization, calling it "one of the biggest lies that’s being told about women’s health today." She cites her personal experience with the procedure as cause for her criticisms, having described her difficulties as an IVF candidate before going on to conceive her child naturally. She also attributes this experience as being the motivation for her years of personal advocacy and financial support of research in reproductive longevity, exploring alternatives to IVF, including the benefits of no-cost interventions such as increased exposure to sunlight. JLuzPaz (talk) 14:37, 25 April 2024 (UTC)

I think a lack of news coverage and secondary sources is why nobody is responding to this request. Simply: abortion and fertility do not seem to be issues which arise in the context of RFK Jr.'s campaign or his career. So what is the reason for adding these paragraphs? We could also report RFK Jr.'s positions on HIV virus, Bill Gates, and 5G cell phone towers, but those don't seem to be among the campaign issues either.

Absent this news context, adding your paragraphs arguably would merely extend the campaign's website messaging into Wikipedia. And indeed these paragraphs are mostly sourced from the candidates and the campaign.

There is the one instance where RFK Jr. seems to have gone off script when talking with an NBC reporter, and it made the news. That story, including the campaign's correction, is covered here. I notice it remains covered -- albeit more gently -- in the paragraphs you propose to add.

Regarding Shanahan: fertility is part of her career notability. She financed a fertility research organization. This could become part of the issues raised in the context of the campaign. For now, I think it mostly belongs on her wikipedia page. M.boli (talk) 19:00, 25 April 2024 (UTC)

Hi @M.boli

Could you please explain? The topic of abortion was already an established issue on the candidate's main page, and here as well, but now you say it's not a notable issue in the context of his campaign or career? I would certainly say that abortion is a notable issue in the context of a presidential campaign, and regardless, it appears to be notable enough for it to have already been created by other editors. This is seconded by the fact that it is a notable enough issue for it to be specifically presented on the candidate's campaign website and Washington Post's overview of each candidate. It was also notable enough to be covered in the Reuters article in March.

Just to clarify, I'm not proposing to create a new section. I'm requesting that it be updated to properly describe the candidate's view on the issue so that it is accurate. As it stands now, it only features a blurb about what appears to have been a mix-up in talking with an individual reporter -- and it does not describe that event accurately either -- let alone does it actually reflect the candidate's stated views on the matter. In fact, it presents as though he is in favor of a nationwide ban. JLuzPaz (talk) 18:41, 26 April 2024 (UTC)

 Not done: Edits contested to any degree are ineligible for the edit request process. —Sirdog (talk) 06:41, 26 April 2024 (UTC)

Partially implemented Added Kennedy's statement to Reuters. This seems to be the best statement available in news sources. I trimmed the NBC interview incident a little bit, because it was a somewhat interpretative version of the source. The complaint that the pre-edit version did not accurately present the candidate's stated views seemed correct, inasmuch as he has expressed multiple views and a spokesperson walked back one of them. There is a paucity of reliable source coverage of Kennedy's abortion positions. I'm a bit reluctant to use the campaign website. -- M.boli (talk) 14:20, 27 April 2024 (UTC)

References

Edit to "Spoiler effect"

The current section reads:

Donald Trump has said that Kennedy's candidacy is "great for MAGA, but the Communists will make it very hard for him to get on the Ballot. Expect him, and her, to be indicted any day now, probably for Environmental Fraud! He is Crooked Joe Biden’s Political Opponent, not mine. I love that he is running!" and "He is going to be taking votes from Crooked Joe Biden, which would be a great service to America."

At the end, it should be added: Trump later backtracked, however, and accused Kennedy of being a "Democrat plant" and saying that voting for him would be a "wasted protest vote".

Sources: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/apr/28/robert-kennedy-jr-trump-rant, https://www.politico.com/news/2024/04/27/trump-rfk-jr-2024-election-00154746 AmericanBaath (talk) 23:43, 28 April 2024 (UTC)

What is up with the bright red for Nevada, South Carolina, etc on the ballot access map?

Is this for the same reason that Nevada was removed off the map a bit back? Buildershed (talk) 01:57, 30 April 2024 (UTC)

They gray-ish red is meant to denote states where a has petition failed or been restarted in some way. The RFK campaign has restarted petition drives in AZ, GA, and SC, and its petition has been rejected in NV. Basically like starting at 0, like the other gray states. Longestview (talk) 03:42, 30 April 2024 (UTC)

@Longestview Can we source that the petitions have been restarted or rejected.

Last I heard, there were only just efforts to try to get his petition invalidated by DNC partisan groups.

With the other states, there were just talks that in some states, PACs gathering signatures was illegal, key word being some. This as far as I could tell was never fully decided or finalized. Buildershed (talk) 07:26, 30 April 2024 (UTC)

Whenever a petition's status is updated, it's usually sourced on this page and this page. Longestview (talk) 07:33, 30 April 2024 (UTC)

Update to Spoiler section

More has came out on the spoiler stuff that needs to be mentioned.

1. Candidate Donald J Trump went on a rant via multiple posts on Truth Social against RFK jr, referring to him as a Democrat plant recently.

https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/112340329782516692

2. RFK Jr. has fired back with accusing Biden of being a spoiler.

2a. Funnily enough, going by the 20k Zogby poll that was conducted and the definition according to Wiktionary (sister project to Wikipedia) of spoiler "A competitor, unable to win themselves, who spoils the chances of another’s victory. ", Biden does fit this definition in this case.

2a would be original research and not necessary to include but thought it was interesting to mention regardless. Buildershed (talk) 20:55, 2 May 2024 (UTC)

RFK Jr. has challenged Donald Trump to a debate at the Libertarian National Convention. Should that be added to the "Spoiler effect" section of this page? 98.20.152.150 (talk) 22:05, 8 May 2024 (UTC)

@98.20.152.150 I don't think this applies to being a spoiler. Buildershed (talk) 22:07, 8 May 2024 (UTC)

or anything related to "spoiler" Buildershed (talk) 22:08, 8 May 2024 (UTC)

Request: Add Woody Harrelson to endorsements

Source:

He also narrated a pro-RFK Mini documentary recently. 209.244.145.178 (talk) 04:58, 4 May 2024 (UTC)

Will someone add Kevin Spacey’s endorsement?

Kevin Spacey endorsed him on Twitter/X today https://x.com/kevinspacey/status/1787511374429442455?s=46&t=wXVh_7u_oZWQ1uCt5QYAuA Coreman009 (talk) 17:55, 6 May 2024 (UTC)

Will someone add Delaware as a state in which he has ballot access?

Source: 144.129.234.114 (talk) 01:12, 9 May 2024 (UTC)