RFK Jr. goes independent. What will his run mean for the presidential race in Pa.?

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Earlier this month at Independence Mall in Philadelphia, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. ditched the Democratic Party to run for president as an independent.

Though no independent has won the U.S. presidency since the 1700s, Kennedy's candidacy could shake up the race in Pennsylvania and other closely contested battleground states. A recent Reuters/Ipsos poll had Kennedy drawing double-digits in a three-way race against Democratic President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump, the Republican frontrunner.

"I think he's sort of a wild card," Berwood Yost, director of the Center for Opinion Research at Franklin & Marshall College, said of Kennedy.

Democrats could theoretically be attracted to Kennedy because of his family name and legacy, as his uncle John F. Kennedy was a Democratic president from 1961 until 1963, when he was assassinated in Dallas. Kennedy may also draw GOP voters, according to Yost, because of his criticisms of COVID-19 pandemic policies and vaccines.

"Lots still up in the air with a year to go," Yost said.

Trish Crouse, an adjunct instructor of political science at the University of New Haven in Connecticut, said she thinks Kennedy will have a significant effect on the outcome of the presidential election. Her belief is that he'll appeal to many independent voters and will ultimately siphon off more support from Trump than from Biden.

"I think he adds an interesting level to this that I'm not sure people were expecting before," Crouse said.

"He kind of mixes it up a lot bit. And I'm not so sure that's a negative."

In order for Kennedy to qualify for the ballot in places such as Pennsylvania, Crouse and Yost said they believe his petition signatures will first have to survive challenges from one or both of the two major parties.

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Inside the Beltway

Like Kennedy, Biden and U.S. Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.) were also in Philadelphia this month.

Their visit was to announce a $750-million federal investment in clean energy hubs, including one in eastern Pennsylvania and one in West Virginia, near the border of southwestern Pennsylvania. A Mid-Atlantic Clean Hydrogen Hub is being established in Philadelphia and a Appalachian Regional Clean Hydrogen Hub is setting up at the West Virginia border.

"This is our moment to lead on clean energy," Casey said in a social media post.

The hubs are expected to "create and retain 41,000 good-paying jobs in the construction and energy sectors," according to state Sen. Gene Yaw (R-Lycoming), chair of Pennsylvania's Senate Environmental Resources and Energy Committee. Yaw was among those in the state Legislature who expressed bipartisan support for the projects.

“These announcements recognize the importance of the work that has already been done on carbon capture and sequestration,” Yaw said in a news release.

Others were less enthused. State Rep. Danielle Friel Otten (D-Chester) expressed concern about the Mid-Atlantic Clean Hydrogen Hub using hydrogen from gas accessed from fracking.

"From a regulatory standpoint," Friel Otten said in a statement, "Pennsylvania is woefully unprepared to make an investment of this magnitude while upholding our constitutional mandate to protect the people’s right to public health and safety, private property, clean air, pure water, and the preservation of the natural environment."

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And the horse race

Many central Pennsylvania residents will see a familiar face in the 10th Congressional District race in 2024.

Longtime WGAL news anchor Janelle Stelson announced this month that she's seeking the office. The seat is now held by U.S. Rep. Scott Perry (R-Pa.).

"I cannot stand by and watch Congressman Perry continue to sow chaos, preach extremism and spout conspiracy theories," Stelson said in a campaign video.

In resigning from WGAL to run for Congress, Stelson joins a growing field of Democrats hoping to unseat the incumbent. Perry holds significant clout among conservatives as chair of the House Freedom Caucus, but has also figured into probes among colleagues and federal investigators looking at the efforts of former President Donald Trump and Republican allies to overturn the 2020 election results.

This article originally appeared on York Daily Record: Independent RFK Jr. runs for president, what will polls tell us?