RFK Jr. to announce running mate. His support is growing, but cash is tight

OAKLAND, Calif. — Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is slated to announce his vice-presidential pick Tuesday at a time when his campaign has gained some early traction with voters but appears to be short on cash.

His "Team Kennedy" campaign raised $29 million in February but spent $22 million of it, so ended the month with just over $5 million, according to filings with the Federal Election Commission.

A Super PAC has also been raising money on his behalf. Called American Values 2024, it raised $4.2 million in February and spent nearly $9 million, leaving it with $18.5 million.

His campaign has told USA TODAY that it needs $30 million simply to get on the ballot in all 50 states. So far, he is on the ballot in Utah and has collected enough signatures to earn a spot in Nevada and New Hampshire. But CBS News reported late Monday that he might have to start all over again in Nevada because a running mate was not named on his petition.

His "We the People" party has enough signatures to establish itself in Hawaii.

A statement released by the campaign said Kennedy stands for "restoring the middle class, ending the chronic disease epidemic, unwinding the war machine, and unraveling corporate capture of our government agencies."

Fundraising challenges

There's no doubt Kennedy, 70, a long-time lawyer and activist, could use additional financial support.

The PAC's biggest contribution in February came from Gavin de Becker, an author and expert in providing security to public officials. He donated $4 million in February, as well as $10 million earlier this year, which was later converted to a loan, and $4.5 million last year. Gavin de Becker and Associates LP has received about $1.4 million in expenses from Kennedy’s campaign in February, according to campaign filings.

The next biggest chunk of Kennedy's financial support so far has come from Mellon Bank heir Timothy Mellon, who is also a longtime supporter of former president Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee, as well as the biggest donor to the border wall Trump long touted. That has led to speculation that Mellon and others who support Kennedy are doing so to harm President Joe Biden's reelection bid.

Such support from a Trump backer could affect how some voters see Kennedy, said Peter Ubertaccio, a professor of political scence and vice president for academic affairs at Stonehill College in Easton, Massachusetts.

Kennedy's ability to sway even a few voters in key swing states will certainly lead to a Democratic response, he said.

The Democratic National Committee already filed a federal election complaint against his campaign saying it has benefited illegally from American Value 2024 support.

How the Democratic party responds to a continuing threat from Kennedy could drive voters to him or away, Ubertaccio said.

The next biggest donor is Nicole Shanahan, who has been rumored to be his pick for a running mate, a decision he is expected to make Tuesday in Oakland, California, her hometown.

Shanahan, a lawyer, philanthropist and ex-wife of Google co-founder Sergey Brin, provided $4 million to support a controversial $7 million Kennedy advertisement that ran during the Super Bowl. Last year, she donated $500,000 to the pro-Kennedy group Common Sense and the legal limit of $6,600 last year to Kennedy's campaign. She has donated to other candidates in the past, including Biden's 2020 campaign and Hillary Clinton's 2016 White House bid.

Shanahan previously told USA TODAY she provided creative direction for the recent Super Bowl ad, which drew liberally from a commercial his uncle John F. Kennedy used in his successful 1960 presidential campaign.

The rest of Kennedy family has distanced themselves from him. RFK Jr., son of the attorney general of the same name, is known for his opposition to vaccines, a stance other family members say would have "appalled" his aunt Eunice Kennedy Shriver, who devoted her life to protecting children against diseases and birth defects.

RFK Jr. apologized to his cousins after they complained about the Super Bowl but then pinned it to the top of his social media profile for a time.

Much of the Kennedy clan ‒ but not RFK Jr. ‒ celebrated St. Patrick's Day earlier this month with President Joe Biden at the White House.

The Kennedy name is a "nationally recognized brand" in American politics, though more in Massachusetts than elsewhere, said Ubertaccio, who has followed the family's political fortunes.

"This particular Kennedy is unorthodox in many ways."

Kennedy's voter support

Kennedy's campaign points to polling that shows he has strong support among young people, independents and Latino voters.

Political scientists said third-party candidates typically poll much better in the springtime than they do as the first Tuesday in November approaches.

Many are unhappy with both Biden and former president Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee, but ultimately "people don't want to waste their vote," Ubertaccio said.

Traditionally, third-party candidates have acted as "spoilers," preventing Democratic or Republican candidates from winning. In 1992, businessman Ross Perot helped Democrat Bill Clinton deny George H.W. Bush a second term. Ralph Nader returned the favor in 2000, taking enough votes away from Democrat Al Gore that Bush's son won the electoral college and became president.

In a recent online poll of 4,000 Americans from March 7 to 13, Kennedy picked up “disaffected middle and center independents” as well as suburban women, turned off by the Republican hard-line against abortion, said Cliff Young, president of U.S. public affairs at Ipsos, which conducted the survey.

"He does seems to capture the fringe. Overall he’s picking up a chunk of the electorate who don’t like either Trump or Biden," Young said.

But the more the public knows about Kennedy's unorthodox views, the more he may have trouble holding onto his current support, said Jeffrey Berry, a political science professor emeritus at Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts.

"As Kennedy attracts more attention, it's not necessarily going to be to his benefit," he said.

Kennedy's outsider status is "resonating right now. I just don't know if it will hold going into November," Ubertaccio added. "He's likely at the high point of his candidacy."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: RFK Jr. VP pick to be announced as support grows, but cash is low