RFK Jr. bringing independent presidential bid to Columbus on Tuesday

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is bringing his presidential campaign to Columbus on Tuesday, one week after he announced he is running as an independent instead of as a Democrat.

Kennedy will speak at the Marriott located in West Chester Township at noon on Tuesday, part of a three-day campaign tour in Ohio, Tennessee, and Kentucky. After his speaking engagement in Westchester, he will trek to Columbus and deliver a speech in The Fawcett Center at The Ohio State University.

A descendant of a prominent Democratic family, Kennedy has garnered support among far-right wing figures for his skepticism of the COVID vaccine, specifically around the debunked conspiracy theory that vaccines are linked to autism. Members of his family denounced his candidacy in a post on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.

Kennedy's Ohio tour comes a week after the departure of his former campaign manager, former Cleveland Mayor Dennis J. Kucinich. Kucinich twice ran for president himself in both 2004 and 2008 and had been with Mr. Kennedy since April when he first announced his bid for office in April. Kucinich introduced Kennedy at the Philadelphia rally where he announced his independent presidential bid.

Kucinich confirmed in an interview last week that he was no longer Mr. Kennedy's campaign manager. He said he would "not discuss any internal communications of the campaign", according to a New York Times article. Kennedy's daughter in law, Amaryllis Fox, will serve as Mr. Kucinich's replacement.

Kucinich praised the work of the "powerful team" that was ready to take the campaign in a new direction. He added: "That patriotic goal is within sight, and I urge each of you to hold fast."

This article originally appeared on Aberdeen News: RFK Jr. bringing presidential campaign to Ohio Tuesday