Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., is expected to announce later on Monday that he is leaving the Democratic presidential primary and instead launching an independent campaign for the White House.
Kennedy’s expected decision comes as he’s found more popularity with Republicans, and as he’s found himself at odds with a Democratic Party that he believes is conspiring to derail his presidential run, NBC’s Alex Seitz-Wald writes. And NBC’s Alex Tabet and Katherine Koretski report from the campaign trail that Kennedy’s supporters help explain his move to an independent bid, writing that his backers “tend to think more highly of Trump than Biden.”
Still, Dems are worried that more candidates on the ballot could throw a wrench into Biden’s re-election prospects. The New York Times reports that Biden’s allies are working to thwart third-party efforts, particularly one led by the group No Labels.
A recent national NBC News poll explains why they’re worried. The survey found that Trump pulls ahead of Biden by a few percentage points in a hypothetical matchup where unnamed candidates from the Green Party, the Libertarian Party and No Labels are also on the ballot.
In other campaign news…
Granite State battle: The Washington Post explores former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley’s recent rise in New Hampshire, noting that Trump’s rivals are refocusing on the early primary state.
Stepping up attacks: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is ramping up his attacks on Trump on the campaign trail, NBC’s Alec Hernández reports. And Never Back Down, a super PAC backing DeSantis, recently launched a TV ad that doesn’t mention Trump by name, but compares DeSantis to “one man,” per AdImpact.
Mark your calendars: The Iowa Democratic party announced Friday that its caucus will still be held in person on Jan. 15, but that the party will release the results on March 5, conceding the first-in-the-nation position, per NBC’s Emma Barnett. But New Hampshire is expected to buck the Democratic Party’s plan to push its primary back. New Hampshire Democratic Party Chairman Ray Buckley acknowledged at a Democratic National Committee meeting over the weekend that Biden is not likely to be on the primary ballot as a result.
Biden’s business: Biden’s support for unions “has unnerved some of his business supporters,” write NBC News’ Peter Nicholas and Peter Alexander. They report that some advisers “have directly urged Biden to state bluntly that he wants to help business succeed.”
Uphill battle: Mississippi’s Democratic gubernatorial nominee, Brandon Presley, is urging Black voters to turn out in historic numbers in November’s election, which could give him a leg up against GOP Gov. Tate Reeves. The New York Times reports that Presley is also making Medicaid expansion, a popular position among Mississippians that Reeves has failed to undertake, central to his campaign.
Confusion on the ballot: Ohio abortion rights groups are trying to avoid confusion among voters when it comes to November’s abortion ballot initiative, per NBC News’ Adam Edelman.
“Steep learning curve”: Michigan election officials have been struggling to implement citizen-led election reforms, including the implementation of early voting and permanent absentee voting, per NBC News’ Jane C. Timm.
