Dennis Kucinich’s leadership woes prompted departure from RFK Jr. campaign

As Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s presidential campaign picked up steam through the summer and into the fall, concerns were mounting internally about its management.

Former Ohio Congressman Dennis Kucinich, then Kennedy’s campaign manager, faced doubts about his leadership — doubts that persisted despite convergence with Kennedy on policy. Days after Kennedy left the Democratic race to become an independent, Kucinich left the campaign and said he sent an email to the staff announcing his departure.

Three people with direct knowledge of the campaign said he was fired. The reason, one person said, was persistent internal concern about his capability in that role. A separate memo from a staffer outlined a lack of direction and a pattern of poor communication.

The nature of Kucinich's departure is now a matter of dispute.

Kucinich said he “was not asked to leave the campaign.” In a phone interview, he called the idea that he was fired “insane” and “totally false.”

Former campaign treasurer John Sullivan said in a phone interview that the situation was more nuanced and ambiguous than a firing or a resignation.

The former congressman also walked away with $120,000 after leaving the campaign, according to the latest campaign financial disclosure to the FEC. The payment was made in two installments on Oct. 18, five days after his departure was announced.

Sullivan, who left shortly after Kucinich, said he could not comment on the specifics of the payment after Kucinich left. Sullivan said it would violate his nondisclosure agreement to discuss it, but the payment would have been per the terms of Kucinich's contract.

Kennedy’s third-party bid for the White House is a long shot; even getting his name on the ballot will prove tough. While Kucinich said it was “stupid” to doubt his ability to lead the campaign, that feeling wasn’t unanimous.

“He’s just not a great manager of resources, whether financial or people,” said one of the people, who — like the others who were interviewed for this article — was granted anonymity to discuss internal campaign dynamics.

This person also said that Kucinich had been asked to leave the campaign twice before that summer, but had convinced Kennedy to keep him on staff. Kucinich said those incidents didn’t occur.

During his tenure, Kucinich also asked the campaign to consider vendors of which he was a part owner, this person said. The campaign ultimately declined to use them once they became aware of Kucinich's connections to the vendors.

“I am focusing on the contract. Everything that I did was disclosed to the campaign,” he said when asked about the vendors.

As campaign manager, Kucinich was not paid a salary. The Kennedy campaign paid $430,587 to Kucinich Consulting LLC in consulting fees and travel expenses, according to the most recent campaign filings. One person said this represented payments to Kucinich and his wife, Elizabeth Kucinich, who was also working on the campaign.

Two of the people said that Kucinich attributed any disorder to the hectic nature of American presidential campaigns. Kucinich ran for president twice before, in 2004 and 2008. While he injected the contest with anti-Iraq War sentiment and liberal policy proposals, such as supporting universal health care and free universal pre-K, he did not come close to winning the nomination.

“Somebody fabricated [this story] with the intention of smearing me,” Kucinich said.

Amaryllis Fox Kennedy, a former Twitter executive and Kennedy’s daughter-in-law, took over as campaign manager in October.

“As a public servant, Dennis is an American treasure. For decades, he has stood firm against the war machine and fought for working people,” Fox Kennedy said in a statement to POLITICO. “Having witnessed his character and courage up close, I’m excited to see him return to public service, where I know he will continue his tireless fight for the ideals that make our country great. We can’t wait to work with him in Washington next year.”

Since leaving the Kennedy campaign Kucinich has since launched a new bid for his old House seat in Ohio, currently held by Republican Rep. Max Miller. The seat, Ohio's 7th District, now leans Republican.