Some opinions remain divided as Robert F. Kennedy Jr. suspends his 2024 presidential campaign and endorses former President Donald Trump. For many of RFK Jr.'s supporters in North County, the news is disappointing.
“I was very disappointed to see that happen,” said Rich Jachimowicz, a local supporter.
He and others have been actively rallying support for RFK Jr. in the area ahead of Election Day.
“I was hoping the momentum we were picking up would carry us into a three-man race,” Jachimowicz added.
Others, like Suzanne Finder, the Lead Volunteer Coordinator for San Diego County, are still holding onto hope.
“It was a disappointment, but in other ways, it opened up this whole new range of possibility for voters in this country,” Finder said.
Craig Barkacs, a professor of power and politics at the University of San Diego, noted that such shifts are common and sometimes expected from third-party candidates.
“The reality is that presidential elections in the United States are simply binary,” Barkacs explained. “Third-party candidates tend not to do well and usually decline in popularity as the election approaches, which was happening with the RFK campaign.”
Despite RFK Jr.'s endorsement of Trump, Barkacs believes there's still time for the political landscape to shift.
“Well, right now, polls indicate that Trump has a slight advantage from the RFK supporters,” Barkacs said. “But it's August. There’s a saying in politics that a lot of America doesn’t tune in until after Labor Day Weekend, which is soon upon us.”
As November 5 approaches, some local voters remain resolute in their support.
“The volunteers here in San Diego are still going to make a big push forward,” Finder said. “This hasn’t caused us to withdraw but to move forward with even more vigor than before.”
RFK Jr. has reiterated that his name will remain on ballots in many states, encouraging his supporters to vote for him in solidly blue or red states. Some of his supporters plan to do just that.
“I will be voting for him, and that’s why I’m doing what I’m doing,” Finder said. “I have a job, I have other commitments, but this is important to me. That’s why people like Rich and myself are doing what we’re doing.”
