Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. positioned himself as an alternative to the Democratic and Republican fields for Tucson voters on Monday evening in the 2024 election.
Hours before the event at the historic Fox Theatre in downtown Tucson, attendees stood in a line that snaked around the block. The anti-vaccine activist — nephew of former President John F. Kennedy and son of former U.S. Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy — drew a crowd of more than 700.
Kennedy was introduced by former World Wrestling Federation star and former Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura. Kennedy walked onstage to a standing ovation.
Some in that crowd said Kennedy, who switched from being a Democratic candidate to an independent in October, was addressing issues that other candidates were ignoring.
Kiersten Jund said she had supported Sen. Bernie Sanders when he ran for president in the past but became disenchanted with how he was treated by the Democratic National Committee.
“Our country is really divided and unhappy,” she said. “A lot of politicians aren’t talking about things we’re talking about with our friends and family. And RFK is talking about a lot of them.”