A Brief Look at the 4 Spoilers in the 2024 Presidential Election

This blog post was updated on August 22, 2024 to update Trump's total business bankruptcies from 2 to 6 as well as account for  (1) Biden ending his campaign; (2) Kamala Harris accepting the Democratic nomination; and, (3) the potential that John F. Kennedy, Jr. will cease his campaign and support Trump.

According to an April 25 - May 30, 2024 Washington Post - Schar School poll, approximately 18 percent of respondents are decidedly against both Joe Biden and Donald Trump (called "Double Haters" in the Washington Post article. Refer to above charts). These voters could very well decide whether Biden or Trump wins the White House in November 2024. 

Biden [1] appears cognitively slow and progressives believe he hasn't done enough to resolve the conflict in Gaza. Trump nominated 3 Supreme Court Justices who helped overturn Roe v. Wade and is now a convicted felon who was also convicted of sexual assault. Trump University was found to be a scam resulting in Mr. Trump paying a hefty fine. Mr. Trump also filed for business re-organizations under Chapter 11 of the the bankruptcy code 6 times, 4 times between 1991 and 1992. (Multiple articles indicated that Trump transferred personal debt to his businesses so that he could avoid personal bankruptcy. Each re-organization required Trump to drastically reduce his ownership percentage.)     Biden is 81 years old while Trump is 78.

The Washington Post. Meet the ‘double haters’ who could decide the election. By: Ashley Parker, June 23, 2024:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/06/23/double-haters-biden-trump-deciders/

Business Re-Organization Articles:

The Washington Post. Fact Check: Has Trump declared bankruptcy four or six times? By: Michelle Lee, September 26, 2016:  https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2016/live-updates/general-election/real-time-fact-checking-and-analysis-of-the-first-presidential-debate/fact-check-has-trump-declared-bankruptcy-four-or-six-times/ ; PolitiFact online. Yep, Donald Trump's companies have declared bankruptcy...more than four times. By: Linda Qui, June 21, 2016: https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2016/jun/21/hillary-clinton/yep-donald-trumps-companies-have-declared-bankrupt/ ; ThoughtCo. / Humanities / Issues. Why Donald Trump's Companies Went Bankrupt. By: Tom Murse, Updated December 31, 2020: https://www.thoughtco.com/donald-trump-business-bankruptcies-4152019 ; Tampa Bay Times / Florida Politics online. Here's how Donald Trump bankrupted his Atlantic City casinos, but he still earned millions. By: New York Times, Published June 13, 2016: https://www.tampabay.com/news/politics/national/heres-how-donald-trump-bankrupted-his-atlantic-city-casinos-but-he-still/2281296/

Biden Ceases Campaign:

[1] Biden ceased his presidential campaign on July 21, 2024 under pressure by several Democratic Senators and large-dollar donors due to his poor performance in the 1st debate with Trump. Kamala Harris was selected by the Democratic Party to replace Biden shortly thereafter.

According to The New York Times, there are 4 total Independent (2) and third-party (2) presidential candidates in the 2024 presidential election. These candidates are Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., Cornel West, Jill Stein, and Chase Oliver. None of these candidates qualified for the presidential debates.

To compare the backgrounds and positions on the key issues of all 6 candidates running for President in 2024, I created Excel spreadsheets. The issues compared include climate change, crime, the economy, foreign policy, and reproductive rights. The spreadsheets and data sources are at https://www.democracydieswithlies.com/articles/2024-election-articles

Here is a brief overview of each of the 4 Presidential candidates that will draw votes from Biden and/or Trump.

Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. (Section Updated 08/22/24, 08/23/24)

Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. is an anti-vaxxer and conspiracy theorist funded by Republican supporters of Donald Trump, and whose own family has endorsed Joe Biden. RFK, Jr. running as an Independent. Mr. Kennedy, Jr. studied at Harvard, Virginia, and the London School of Economics. He worked for an environmental watchdog, Riverkeeper; founded the clean water advocacy group, Waterkeeper Alliance; and, founded an anti-vaccine organization and advocacy group, Children's Health Defense. According to an article in the Daily Beast dated June 20, 2024, RFK, Jr. "failed to qualify for ... [the] presidential debate, is bleeding cash, and is on a mere nine state ballots, reducing his chances to, “essentially nil.”

Referenced articles and related websites:

(Official website: https://www.kennedy24.com/; Campaign policies are excerpted at Ballotpedia: https://ballotpedia.org/Robert_F._Kennedy_Jr._presidential_campaign,_2024). News about Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s views - ABC News:  https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/robert-kennedy-jr-running-president/story?id=103202315; AP News: https://apnews.com/article/who-is-robert-f-kennedy-jr-rfk-097ac973a32ddf2e8e4edecd6a8f3153; The New York Times - Drop Bid: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/19/climate/rfk-jr-environment.html);  Did RFK Jr.’s Presidential Campaign Just Flame Out? The Daily Beast (Elections):  https://www.thedailybeast.com/did-rfk-jrs-presidential-campaign-just-flame-out?ref=home?ref=home; and, USA Today.com https://www.usatoday.com/elections/voter-guide/2024-11-05

Kennedy, Jr. Suspends Campaign, Endorses Trump:

According to several news sources (The New York Times, Reuters, San Diego Union Tribune), Senator Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. is expected to end his campaign and support Trump effective August 23, 2024. The Democratic Party spent money contesting his ballot-access effort. Kennedy was on the ballot of 19 states and working to gain access to more. However, Kennedy was blocked from being on New York's ballot because he used a fake address to maintain his state residency.  Kennedy was also running low on funding.

Now that Kennedy has suspended his campaign, who will his supporters endorse? Kennedy initially saw himself as a Democratic alternative to Biden, then as an Independent alternative to both Biden and Trump. Now that Harris replaced Biden as the Democratic candidate, will Kennedy supporters gravitate to Trump or align with Harris?

Related Articles (Refer to "RFK, Jr. Ends Campaign, Endorses Trump" for copies of the indicated articles)

The New York Times online. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Is Expected to End His Presidential Campaign. By Rebecca Davis O’Brien, Maggie Haberman and Benjamin Oreskes, Aug. 21, 2024: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/21/nyregion/rfk-jr-presidential-campaign-speech.html?smid=nytcore-android-share ; Reuters online. RFK Jr to weigh dropping US presidential bid to join forces with Trump. By: Reuters, August 20, 2024: https://www.reuters.com/world/us/rfk-jr-said-weigh-dropping-us-presidential-bid-join-up-with-trump-2024-08-20/ ; San Diego Union Tribune. Kennedy’s running mate suggests they may drop out of the presidential race and endorse Trump.  By: The New York Times News Service Syndicate, August 20, 2024: https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/2024/08/20/kennedys-running-mate-suggests-they-may-drop-out-of-the-presidential-race-and-endorse-trump-3/ ; The New York Times online. A Desperate Kennedy Campaign, and the Mystery of 110,000 Signatures. By: Rebecca Davis O’Brien, Aug. 20, 2024: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/20/us/politics/robert-f-kennedy-arizona-ballot.html?smid=nytcore-android-share ; USA Today online. RFK Jr. suspends campaign; endorses former President Trump. By: Savannah Kuchar, Aug. 23, 2024: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/elections/2024/08/23/rfk-drops-out-2024-supports-donald-trump/74896591007/ ; CNN.com. RFK Jr.’s supporters could still alter a tight presidential race. Trump is banking on it. By: Steve Contorno, Alayna Treene, and Aaron Pellish, August 23, 2024: https://www.cnn.com/2024/08/23/politics/robert-kennedy-president-trump/index.html

Cornell West

Cornel West holds a Ph.D. in Philosophy from Princeton. Dr. West is running as an Independent. He has written 20 books and edited 13. Dr. West's books analyze race, class, justice, or philosophy which provide political insight through the lens of democratic socialism, Christian moral sensibility, and American pragmatism.

He currently teaches Philosophy of Religion, African American Critical Thought, and other subjects at Union Theological Seminary. Union Theological Seminary is a center for liberal Christianity located in New York. He is also a long-time political activist. 

Dr. West will pull far-left liberals from the Democratic Party candidate, while not affecting Trump's presidential bid.

Referenced articles and related websites:

About: http://cornelwest.com/bio.html; Platform: https://www.cornelwest2024.com/platform) Additional Information about Dr. Cornel West - Britannica online: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Cornel-West; Samford University: https://www.samford.edu/news/2017/01/Bonhoeffer-Saw-American-Racism-During-Year-of-Study-at-Union-Seminary; and, USA Today.com https://www.usatoday.com/elections/voter-guide/2024-11-05

Jill Stein

Jill Stein is running as the Green Party candidate. According to USA Today, she drew about 1.4 million votes in 20216 and was accused by Democrats of drawing votes from Hillary Clinton in key Swing States. I believe she will draw crucial votes from Biden in 2024.

According to her campaign website, Ms. Stein is "a Harvard-educated doctor, a pioneering environmental health advocate, and an organizer for people, planet, and peace. She has helped lead initiatives to fight environmental racism, injustice, and pollution, to promote healthy communities, and to revitalize democracy. She has helped win victories in campaign finance reform, racially-just redistricting, and the clean-up of incinerators, coal plants, and other toxic threats. She was a principal organizer for the Global Climate Convergence for People, Planet, and Peace over Profit." Her campaign website also stated that Ms. Stein is running "to offer a choice for the people outside the failed two-party system. ... [She and the Green party will] put a pro-worker, anti-war, climate action agenda front and center...."

Referenced articles and related websites:

Meet Jill - Jill Stein for President 2024: https://www.jillstein2024.com/meet_jill; USA Today online / Elections - Jill Stein launches third-party 2024 presidential campaign, calling politics 'broken' (By: Marina Pitofsky Nov 9, 2023): https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/elections/2023/11/09/jill-stein-2024-presidential-candidate/71521585007/; and, USA Today.com https://www.usatoday.com/elections/voter-guide/2024-11-05; and,  Jill Stein for President 2024: https://www.jillstein2024.com/

Chase Oliver

Chase Oliver won the Libertarian party's nomination for president.  According to the Chase for President / About webpage, Chase Oliver is a 38-year-old Libertarian activist living in Atlanta. Dubbed “…the most influential Libertarian in America…” by Rolling Stone, Oliver is a champion of the rights of the individual against the growing power of the state. He began his political activism opposing the War in Iraq under George Bush, aligning with the Libertarian Party after an encounter at the Atlanta Pride Festival in 2010. ... He advocates the adoption of Ranked Choice Voting to avoid future runoffs.

Ballotpedia.org  reported that the top three messages of his campaign: "Voters deserve a President who will respect their inherent individual rights. Our democracy is functionally broke[n] under a [two]-party system. The United States should take the lead in engendering peace both at home and abroad."

Referenced articles and related websites:

Chase for President / About:  https://www.votechaseoliver.com/about; NPR online / Politics (By: Stephen Fowler, June 21, 2024) https://www.npr.org/2024/06/21/nx-s1-4987678/chase-oliver-libertarian-president-trump-mises-caucus; and, Ballotpedia.com -  Chase Oliver presidential campaign, 2024: https://ballotpedia.org/Chase_Oliver_presidential_campaign,_2024