Barring another insurrection, Donald Trump is now a lame duck president. Who will succeed him as leader of his MAGA movement?
Even if J.D. Vance enters 2028 as the sitting president, he is far too feckless for the new authoritarian Republican base. Bobby Kennedy jr., a son of former presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy, brings just the right amount of paranoia to satisfy the MAGA lunatic fringe. During his 2024 presidential campaign, Bobby jr. shifted from being a Democrat to Independent status. His next logical switch would be to the MAGA Republican party for a presidential run.
Former congressman Joseph P. Kennedy III is a grandson of Robert F. Kennedy.
He served as an Assistant District Attorney in Massachusetts before being elected to Congress in 2012.
Joe Kennedy would bring strong progressive credentials to a possible presidential campaign. In Congress Joe Kennedy advocated for LBGTQ rights, universal health care, eliminating student debt, and co sponsored the ‘Green New Deal’,
Born in 1980, Joe Kennedy would bring youth back to the presidential scene should he choose to run for the Democratic nomination.
In 2020 Young Joe made a rookie mistake in challenging- and losing to- incumbent Ed Markey for one of Massachusetts’ Senate seats.
The loss need not be fatal to Joe Kennedy’s political career. Remember that a young Barack Obama challenged and lost to Chicago Congressman Bobby Rush. The loss need not be career ending.
Since leaving Congress Joe Kennedy has headed the Citizens Energy Corporation and served as Special Envoy to Northern Ireland in the Biden administration.
2028 could be an electoral version of ‘Family Feud’, with the Kennedy legacy at stake.
Sources
https://www.woodwellclimate.org/staff/joseph-kennedy/
https://www.bostonmagazine.com/news/2025/01/30/joe-kennedy-iii-democratic-party-reinvention/
Thanks and a tip of the hat to Franmarie Metzler, the U.S. Senate Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, and DonkeyHotey for the images.
