Last Updated on January 9, 2025
Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s opponents are spending tens of thousands of dollars on a national ad campaign to derail his nomination to lead the Department of Health and Human Services.
Democrat-aligned health advocacy group Protect Our Care launched a Stop RFK War Room and is reportedly targeting its campaign toward Republican senators they believe could be persuaded to vote against Kennedy’s confirmation.
Executive director of Protect Our Care Brad Woodhouse warned that the attacks against Kennedy will ramp up before President-elect Donald Trump is sworn in.
“We’re going to accelerate our activity,” he told Politico. “We think this week’s a big deal.”
“We will spend more. We’re just starting this process.”
The ads villainize Kennedy over his claims about the danger of vaccines, warning his opposition to vaccines led to the deaths of 80 children during a 2019 measles outbreak in Samoa.
Democrats are also attacking Kennedy over claims he violated election law last year by “registering for and voting” in the 2024 general election “from a New York residence at which he does not reside.”
Accountable.US filed a complaint with the New York State Board of Elections insisting the Division of Election Law Enforcement investigate whether Kennedy broke the law.
They claim Kennedy registered to vote from a Katonah, NY address despite an Albany Count Supreme Court ruling last year that found he did not actually reside at the address.
“There is demonstrable evidence that Mr. Kennedy illegally voted from an address that is not his residence. We urge your office to immediately commence an investigation into this matter and to act swiftly to enforce any violations of New York law,” wrote Caroline Ciccone, president of Accountable.US, in the complaint.
“As the defendant in this case, Mr. Kennedy was clearly aware of the verdicts holding that he was not a legal resident of this Katonah address. Despite this undisputable knowledge, Mr. Kennedy voted from the property anyway,” the complaint continues.
Ciccone spent two years working in the Biden administration before leading the Democrat watchdog group. Before her job with Biden, Ciccone worked with Protect Our Care and was a researcher for Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign.
If every Democrat voted against Kennedy, just four Republican senators would have to oppose his confirmation to block his confirmation.
GOP senators the group is hoping will turn against Kenndy include Sens. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, Mike Crapo, R-Idaho,, Susan Collins, R-Maine,, Bill Cassidy, R-La., Thom Tillis, R-N.C., Mike Rounds, R-S.D., John Cornyn, R-Texas, Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., and the newly elected Jim Justice, R-W.Va.
Trump spokesperson Steven Cheung warns the complaint is purely a politically motivated partisan attack.
“This ‘watchdog’ group is run by Obama/Biden/Kamala/Hillary staffers and Democrat donors. Completely partisan and politically-motivated,” Cheung wrote on X.
