Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
announced that he is suspending his campaign but emphasized that he is “not
ending it.”
“I am not terminating my campaign; I am simply suspending
it, not ending it. My name will remain on the ballot in most states,” Kennedy
stated during an event on Friday in Arizona. He added that while his name will
stay on some ballots, he will be removing it from 10 key battleground states.
“In my heart, I no longer believe I have a realistic path to
electoral victory in the face of relentless, systematic censorship and media
control. Therefore, I cannot, in good conscience, ask my staff and volunteers
to continue their hard work or ask my donors to keep contributing when I can't
honestly assure them that I have a real path to the White House,” Kennedy
explained.
He began his remarks by discussing his decision to leave the
Democratic Party and run as an independent, as well as the challenges his
campaign faced in securing ballot access in various states.
“The naysayers told us we were climbing a glass version of
Mount Impossible. The first thing I want to tell you is that we proved them
wrong,” Kennedy said.
Meanwhile, former President Donald Trump, who is scheduled
to appear in Arizona tonight, hinted at a “special guest” at his rally later
today. Trump has also made overtures to Kennedy, even suggesting he might
consider a role for his former rival in a future Cabinet.
Kennedy's chances of victory had been diminishing rapidly,
with a recent CBS News poll showing his support at just 2%.