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Depending on the survey you look at, independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr.<\/strong> is polling<\/a> anywhere between 5 and 21% among likely voters in a hypothetical general election that would include Donald Trump<\/strong> and Joe Biden.<\/strong> While Kennedy appears to be siphoning more voters from Biden than Trump, Democrats and Republicans alike seem perturbed by the support he has amassed, which\u2014if at all borne out in November\u2014could be the strongest third-party performance since Ross Perot\u2019s monumentally disruptive 1992 campaign. But the political scion and noted anti-vaxxer, whose rhetoric and policy planks have crept ever more toward the right, seems to have struck a particular chord among some Trump backers.<\/p>\n A Politico report<\/a> Tuesday found that, of donations to the Kennedy campaign from October through December, approximately $224,000 of itemized donations greater than $200 came from donors to Trump\u2019s 2020 campaign, and $105,000 came from donors who gave to Biden in the last cycle. Kennedy received more than $7 million in donations in the final quarter of 2023. The fourth quarter began with Kennedy changing his candidacy from Democrat to independent, but even before the switch, in the third quarter he received more support from previous Trump donors than Biden donors, according to Politico. (For what it\u2019s worth, the $7 million haul may not suffice to cover the campaign\u2019s expenses if they continue at pace. Per Politico, Kennedy had just $5.4 million on hand as of December 31 after burning through $7.7 million in the last quarter.)<\/p>\n Kennedy has called for a national abortion ban (which he later walked back), defended Israel\u2019s war on Gaza, sided with Texas in its border standoff with the Biden administration, and outflanked Trump from the right when it comes to anti-vaccine paranoia. His increasingly conservative and anti-government bent seems to have opened the door for him to run with the Libertarian Party. Doing so might offer him a better chance at appearing on the majority of state ballots, a hurdle requiring a massive signature-gathering effort should he attempt to clear it on his own. \u201cThat\u2019s something that we\u2019re looking at,\u201d Kennedy told CNN<\/a> over the weekend when asked about joining the Libertarian ticket. \u201cWe have a really good relationship with the Libertarian Party.\u201d<\/p>\n The Libertarian Party is arguably the most well-established third party in presidential elections. In 2020, Libertarian nominee Jo Jorgensen<\/strong> appeared on presidential ballots in all 50 states. Still, Kennedy, who is scheduled to address the Libertarian Party\u2019s California convention next month, told CNN that he will appear \u201con the ballot in every state\u201d even if he stays independent.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Trump has shut down any notion of running alongside the nephew of America\u2019s 35th president, whom he once praised during Kennedy\u2019s short-lived challenge to Biden in the Democratic primary. \u201cHe is by far the most Radical Left person running for office, maybe ever!\u201d Trump wrote<\/a> on Truth Social Tuesday in response to a Fox News report floating Kennedy as Trump\u2019s potential running mate. \u201cLook at his environmental program, and close up the USA!\u201d Trump campaign adviser Chris LaCivita<\/strong> also denied the rumors earlier this week, saying on X<\/a>, \u201cNO ONE from the Trump Campaign ever approached RFK jr (or ever will).\u201d The feeling is mutual: Kennedy told<\/a> Variety<\/em> Tuesday he doesn\u2019t think his marriage to actor Cheryl Hines<\/strong> would survive if he ran alongside Trump.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n