Presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., running as an independent, said his campaign was not involved in a high-profile ad using elements from an ad for his uncle’s presidential campaign.
A Super Bowl campaign ad for independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. drew criticism from family members for invoking his uncle, President John F. Kennedy.
The $7 million ad from the American Values 2024 super PAC mirrored a JFK campaign ad, replacing pictures of the former president with the current candidate, an environmental lawyer and anti-vaccine activist.
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Some members of the famous political family have spoken out against Kennedy's candidacy. His cousin, Bobby Shriver, took to social media to critique his views on vaccinations and other issues.
"My cousin's Super Bowl ad used our uncle's faces — and my Mother's," Shriver wrote. "She would be appalled by his deadly health care views."
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Kennedy responded to Shriver, apologizing for the contents of the ad, which he said was created by the super PAC without his input in accordance with election regulations.
"Bobby. I'm so sorry if that advertisement caused you pain," he wrote on social media. "I send you and your family my sincerest apologies. God bless you."
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He noted that the Federal Elections Commission does not allow super PACs to coordinate directly with candidates or political parties.
John F. Kennedy was elected president in 1960 and was assasinated in 1963. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. shares a name with his father, who was running for the Democratic presidential nomination when he was killed in 1968.
Prior to running as an independent in this election cycle, Kennedy challenged President Joe Biden for the Democratic nomination.
