Biden Faces Anti-Establishment Challengers

Whether Kennedys or new-agers, Biden does have challengers.

Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., and Marianne Williamson are both running in the 2024 Democratic primaries against incumbent Joe Biden.

Robert F. Kennedy, Jr,. is an environmental lawyer who was born into the Kennedy family. His father was Robert F. Kennedy, who served as attorney general under Junior’s uncle John Kennedy and later went on to have a successful career in the Senate. Senior’s life was tragically cut short by a gunman’s (or gunmans’) bullets. This occurred just five years after the death of aforementioned President John F. Kennedy.

Robert, Jr., is different than some members of his family in his distance from what one could call “the establishment.” Robert, Jr., believes his father and uncle were killed by elements of the U.S. government, specifically the CIA.

He also has attracted controversy for his heretical views on vaccination. He was one of the most prominent critics of the idea of mandatory vaccination and also spoke out against the COVID-19 lockdowns.

Marianne Williamson is Biden’s other challenger from within his own party. Williamson was previously known as an author of several popular self-help books. Famous TV personality Oprah Winfrey considered Williamson her “spiritual advisor.”

Williamson ran a long-shot campaign for the 2020 presidential race but dropped out on January 10, 2020, and endorsed Senator Bernie Sanders in the Democratic primaries. 

Sanders would go on to lose to Biden, who would then be elected president.

Now, Williamson is running again.

Both Kennedy, Jr., and Williamson are known for their views that are unfriendly to what could be called “The Establishment.” Kennedy, Jr., said on several podcasts that he believes his family (his father and uncle, John, specifically) were killed by a rogue element of the CIA, and Williamson approvingly recounted a story of her father saying the FBI killed Martin Luther King, Jr., in an April 2021 episode of the podcast, “Useful Idiots.”

Both candidates have also expressed disapproval in regard to the for-profit healthcare system found in the U.S.

In addition, Williamson and Kennedy, Jr., have been outspoken anti-war voices, as both have criticized the major parties in the U.S. for being warmongerers.

There is a question in regards to whether or not Biden will share a debate stage with Williamson and Kennedy, Jr., come debate season. 

The Democratic National Committee said it will not hold debates between Biden and his two challengers, according to pjmedia.com. This news comes in spite of the fact that both candidates meet the polling criteria to participate in the debates, with Williamson polling between 4 and 11 percent, while Kennedy, Jr., is polling between 10 and 21 percent. The criteria to participate in debates is to be polling at 1 percent or above in 3 polls, which both candidates well surpass.

As one can see, 2024 is shaping up to have interesting turmoil that will rock the establishment boat.