Sen. JD Vance, the Republican vice presidential nominee, said he would welcome an endorsement from Robert F. Kennedy Jr. amid reports that Kennedy is considering ending his third-party presidential bid.
“I think it’s a great endorsement for the president to have,” Vance told “CBS Evening News” anchor and managing editor Norah O’Donnell in an interview on Wednesday. “I don’t know if it’s actually going to happen, but I’d certainly welcome it and encourage RFK to join the team.”
Kennedy is considering ending his presidential candidacy in the coming days, two sources familiar with his campaign told CBS News. On Friday, Kennedy plans to address the nation “about the present historical moment and his path forward,” according to his website.
Earlier this week, Kennedy’s running mate, Nicole Shanahan, suggested to “Impact Theory” podcast’s Tom Bilyeu that Kennedy was considering supporting Donald Trump, saying that if he remained in the race, Kennedy might “draw votes” from the former president.
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Vance, who often tells his personal story against the backdrop of the struggles of Appalachia and Rust Belt America, said he grew up in a family made up primarily of “Kennedy Democrats.” He noted that a lot of “old school Democrats” feel like the party has left them behind in a nod to Kennedy’s possible appeal among portions of the party.
But the Ohio Republican made clear when asked about Kennedy’s stance on vaccines that he doesn’t agree with the independent presidential candidate “on every issue.”
“That’s the thing I love about the Republican Party of Donald Trump, is it’s a big tent,” Vance said. “You don’t have to agree with the person on every vaccine to believe that if RFK is saying the Democratic Party has left a lot of old-line Democrats behind, then the Democratic Party’s got to do a better job, and maybe a lot of Democratic voters should come to Donald Trump’s Republican Party.”
Vance added that most Americans won’t agree with their preferred presidential candidate on every issue, while adding that he still wants them to “feel welcome in our party.”
“And certainly RFK is among them,” Vance said.
contributed to this report.