Live updates: Town hall with Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Explaining why he’s running, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. says the Democratic Party “has lost its way.” One his main focuses is supporting the middle class. He also comments on the Ukraine war, saying the United States has “neglected” opportunities to settle the war peacefully.

This town hall will be a different kind of format than Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is used to.

In our exclusive conversations with him on the campaign trail, Kennedy has opened up to us about his voice. He tells us his voice used to be very “strong” and “powerful.” But in 1996 he had an injury which led to a condition called “spasmodic dysphonia” that makes it more difficult for him to speak. And he kicked off the Town Hall discussing it.

As such, television interviews with quick sound bites are not his strength, by his own admission. You may have seen him, however, on the podcast circuit. There’s a reason for this. He tells us his voice gets much stronger when he gets going and speaks for more than five minutes. For that reason, podcasts are his preferred medium. He even told us that were it not for the popularity of podcasts, “I probably wouldn’t be able to run.”

It will be very interesting to see how he performs in a town hall like this where often the most memorable moments are short and to the point, not long-form.

NewsNation’s Chris Cuomo and Democratic strategist Hank Sheinkopf were just discussing, as the minutes tick down to the main event, whether Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s support is an “anybody but Biden” vote.

That’s a really important point.

Yes, Kennedy is running stronger than most people expected, drawing in the ballpark of 15% support in several recent polls of Democrats.

But the reasons are complicated.

Is he doing surprisingly well because of real enthusiasm for him? Or because Democrats uneasy about President Biden see Kennedy as one of the very few alternatives? Or because of the power of the Kennedy name?

Or, perhaps most likely, a combination of all three?

A CNN/SSRS poll last month gave Kennedy 20% support among Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents.

But, tellingly, when those supporters were asked why they were supporting him, “Kennedy name/family connections” topped the list — mentioned by almost twice as many of his nominal supporters as “support his views/policies.”

This is one of the reasons some people are skeptical his support will continue to grow, as his advocates insist.

It might do. But it seems equally plausible it could plateau as his views receive more scrutiny.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s rival, President Joe Biden, was also in Chicago today, too. Biden didn’t mention Kennedy at all, but he did champion what the White House is calling “Bidenomics,” a direct rebuke to the trickle-down economic theory of “Reaganomics,” with a focus on the middle class and growing the economy from the bottom up.

While the economy has seen job growth under Biden, it has also experienced the highest inflation levels in four decades. It’s receding though, due in part to interest rates hikes by the Federal Reserve. More than half of Americans disapprove of how the president is handling the economy, according to polling from Real Clear Politics.

RFK Jr. has a long way to go in the polls. A Saint Anselm survey released on Tuesday showed Kennedy trailing Biden by 59 points among New Hampshire voters. Sixty-eight percent of New Hampshire voters said they would back President Biden, while only 9% said the same about Kennedy. Eight percent said they would back Marianne Williamson.

However, Kennedy has a slightly larger following in national polls. According to the Real Clear Politics polling average of the Democratic presidential primary, Biden leads with 64% support and Kennedy trails with 14.4%. Another 5.7% say they would back Williamson.

The town hall, moderated by Elizabeth Vargas, is being held inside studio 3 at NewsNation’s headquarters in Chicago. It is from 8-9:30 p.m., with a special edition of “CUOMO” airing afterward.

Attendees will have the opportunity to ask questions on topics ranging from the economy to immigration to the war in Ukraine.

There are also live audiences in South Carolina and New Hampshire, two pivotal states in the race. In 2020, Biden faltered out of the gate with losses in Iowa and New Hampshire before South Carolinians revived his candidacy, setting him on a path to securing the nomination.

Here in Manchester, N.H., folks are gearing up to hear from Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and learn more about where he stands on the issues as well as his vision for the nation. This is a behind-the-scenes look at the live studio audience here at the New Hampshire Institute of Politics at Saint Anselm College who will participate in the town hall remotely.

One big question on my mind as we go into tonight’s event: Does Robert F. Kennedy Jr. seek to appeal to traditional Democratic voters, or does he lean into his more iconoclastic beliefs?

A good deal of the media coverage of Kennedy has centered on his views on vaccines, the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine.

There is, plainly, a niche for such views — especially online, where Kennedy attracts some raucous support.

But there is much less evidence that his views are even close to the mainstream of the Democratic Party.

Take his skepticism about the Biden administration’s approach to the Ukraine war, for example. An Economist/YouGov poll released this week found a tiny 9% of Democrats wanted to reduce military aid to Ukraine.

Kennedy does, in fact, hold some beliefs that are shared by many Democrats — his advocacy for labor unions, his belief that too many Americans aren’t getting paid a living wage, and, of course, his concern for the environment.

But will he try to put real emphasis on those views, or spend more time casting himself as the archetypal outsider?

Is he really trying to become President of the United States? Or is his real goal to become the “president” of the digital dissidents who populate online comment sections?

Speaking of Robert Sherman, he was on NewsNation’s “Morning In America” breaking down the positions of candidate Kennedy.

NewsNation digital producer Katie Smith did the same here, looking at Kennedy’s positions on vaccines, foreign policy, the economy, the border, transgender athletes and gun control.

Niall Stanage on “Morning In America” this morning called Kennedy a “genuine, intriguing figure who clearly has tapped into something that people didn’t expect before this race began.”

“There is clearly an appetite for unconventional candidates or anti-authority candidates and that is clearly part of his appeal,” Stanage told NewsNation’s Adrienne Bankert. “Now the question is once it does get down into the weeds, once the scrutiny of some of these beliefs does become more intense does his support begin to wane?”

Good evening, and welcome to NewsNation’s live coverage of our Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Town Hall. To watch the town hall on a big screen, use our channel finder to find NewsNation on your cable or satellite provider. Otherwise, you can see the town hall live from here.

Whether you watch us here or on your television, keep this page open because we’ll have regular updates from a team of expert political journalists from NewsNation and our sister publication, The Hill.

• Blake Burman, NewsNation’s chief Washington correspondent
• Julia Manchester, national political reporter for The Hill
• Robert Sherman, who is covering the presidential primaries for NewsNation
• Niall Stanage, White House Columnist for The Hill

They will add regular insight about the town hall throughout the event. You’ll see additional posts from NewsNation digital producer Tyler Wornell, who will summarize some of the questions and conversations from the town hall.

We’ll also follow your commentary through social media about tonight’s town hall. We’ll be watching two hashtags: #rfktownhall and #rfkonnn. Use them as you post about tonight’s town hall, and we may incorporate your comments into our coverage.