The Washington PostDemocracy Dies in Darkness

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. tests the conspiratorial appetite of Democrats

One of the most famous living descendants of the most famous American political dynasty shows early strength against Biden in polls

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June 5, 2023 at 5:00 a.m. EDT
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. waits to speak at a First Principles Forum on May 25 in Indianapolis. The 69-year-old has become President Biden’s most surprising and successful competitor in the six weeks since announcing a long-shot campaign. (A.J. Mast for The Washington Post)
18 min

INDIANAPOLIS — Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a candidate for president supported by 1 in 5 Democratic voters in some recent polls, campaigns on the idea that powerful people have been working in secret to deceive you.

He began a recent speech here by recounting the Eisenhower administration’s 1960 decision to lie when the Soviets downed an American spy plane by calling it weather research. Then came further deceptions — some proven, some refuted, many just conjecture.