Democrats React to Kennedy Getting on the New York Ballot

I know a lot of people in government around New York State. A bunch of them are Democrat Party Members.

I have stayed in touch with many of them since Robert F. Kennedy Jr. launched his campaign last April. There have been times when the conversations have been tense.

I reached out to some of them the day after Kennedy announced that he delivered 135,519 ballot signatures to New York State Board of Election offices – three times the legal number required to place him and Nicole Shanahan on the state’s November presidential ballot. (And an additional 10,000+ came in at the last minute, according to Pam, a campaign volunteer who helped submit the petitions.)

With the promise that I would not use their names, here are the comments I noted:

Westchester County Democrat former elected official: “We all know that former governor Andrew Cuomo raised the minimum signature requirement from fifteen thousand to forty-five thousand during the pandemic. The legislature went along with this, and we shouldn’t have. He took advantage of the pandemic situation…When Kennedy went independent, we all figured there was no way he could make the New York ballot. It would take too many people and cost too much money…We are stunned. The party is in shock. If he got that many signatures he can get even more votes.”

Finger Lakes Region Democrat: “The party should have run Kennedy against Trump. We’d have a shot. I don’t feel we have one now.”  

Hudson Valley Democrat: “Kennedy is perhaps the only credible threat to the corporate hegemonies that have seized America and New Yorkers know it.”

New York City Democrat: “Did we really think that Black voters would go to Trump? They’re leaving Biden for Kennedy. We’d better get our asses moving or those voters will stay gone.”

Capital Region Democrat: “ I used to chuckle when I saw his volunteers. They were outside the Colonie Mall. Then I heard they were in Saratoga. Then over in Troy. Everywhere. I don’t laugh anymore.”

Long Island Democrat: “That he [Kennedy] could do this means he’s got volunteers on the ground. It speaks to organizational strength. It speaks to a man who gets people fired up...You’re not using my name right?”

Me: “No.”

Long Island Democrat: “Well, we don’t have that kind of candidate this time. Maybe the party needs to do something in Chicago.”

Southern Tier Democrat: “I told you he’d need more than forty-five thousand because of the challenges. He needs more.”

Me: “You heard me wrong. Kennedy got one hundred forty-five thousand signatures.”

Southern Tier Democrat: “Shit!”