Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the prominent vaccine skeptic and political scion, has entered the Democratic presidential race, and his recent financial disclosure form reveals an income of $7.8 million in the year leading up to his campaign. This includes approximately $1.6 million earned from consulting work for a personal injury law firm known for litigation against pharmaceutical companies.
The form, filed with the Federal Election Commission, provides a breakdown of Mr. Kennedy’s income sources. He earned $5 million at his environmental law firm, Kennedy & Madonna, and received a salary and bonus totaling $516,000 as chairman and chief legal counsel of Children’s Health Defense, a nonprofit organization he established that actively opposes vaccines. It’s worth noting that Mr. Kennedy has been on leave from the organization since April when he announced his campaign.
Despite his controversial views on vaccinations and prescription medications, Mr. Kennedy has gained traction in the race, even though he has twisted facts about vaccine development and public health authorities, and has increasingly aligned himself with conservative figures and causes.
His support among Democrats has reached as high as 20 percent in polls; however, a recent poll conducted by Saint Anselm College Survey Center in June indicated that his Democratic support in New Hampshire stands at 9 percent. Additionally, Mr. Kennedy has appealed to voters outside the Democratic Party, with a Quinnipiac University poll revealing that 40 percent of Republicans view him favorably, compared to 31 percent of independents and 25 percent of Democrats.
On the final day of the second quarter campaign fundraising, Mr. Kennedy’s campaign actively sought donations to help him reach his $5 million goal by the end of the day. Notably, his campaign reported a $1 million haul in the 24 hours leading up to this fundraising push. Official numbers will be available in two weeks when the campaign files reports with the F.E.C.
In his financial disclosure form, Mr. Kennedy reported consulting fees of nearly $1.6 million from Wisner Baum, an L.A.-based personal injury law firm formerly known as Baum Hedlund Aristei & Goldman. He is listed as co-counsel on ongoing litigation involving Gardasil, an HPV vaccine manufactured by Merck, as well as lawsuits concerning Monsanto’s Roundup weed killer and California wildfires.
Furthermore, he reported $150,000 in consulting fees from the Marwood Group, a New York-based health care advisory firm, and $125,000 from Skyhorse Publishing, his book publisher, which also pays him as a consultant.
Dennis Kucinich, the former congressman and Mr. Kennedy’s campaign manager, emphasized that the financial disclosure form “speaks for itself.”
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