Despite employing various fundraising strategies, independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s campaign is struggling to bring in significant donations. Kennedy has attempted to boost small donations by selling $10 raffle tickets for excursions with him and his wife, comedian Cheryl Hines, but has seen little growth in this area. Small donations currently account for over one-fourth of the campaign’s funds, totaling $11 million.
The campaign’s auction events in April, March, and February failed to meet their goals, with the most recent auction raising only half of its $100,000 target. As a result, the campaign has not hosted another auction since.
Fortunately, Kennedy’s running mate, Nicole Shanahan, contributed $10 million to the campaign, preventing it from overspending its funds. The campaign has raised over $43 million, including Shanahan’s contribution.
To increase its reach and compensate volunteers, the campaign introduced an affiliate program, offering 15% of raised funds to volunteers who become affiliates. Volunteers can earn commissions by promoting campaign merchandise and events, as well as encouraging supporters to make donations.
As an independent candidate, Kennedy has faced the added expense of collecting signatures. The campaign received assistance from American Values 2024 in several states, but the Democratic National Committee filed a complaint alleging the campaign failed to disclose a $10 million loan to the super PAC until it had repaid 96% of the loan. The campaign claims to have collected signatures in several states, including Nevada, but the validity of these signatures may be challenged due to Kennedy’s failure to name his running mate at the time of signature collection.
The Kennedy campaign claims to be on the ballot in several states, including Utah, Michigan, California, Delaware, Oklahoma, Hawaii, and Texas. As of Saturday, the campaign claimed to have gathered enough signatures to appear on ballots in New Hampshire, Nevada, North Carolina, Idaho, Nebraska, Iowa, Ohio, New Jersey, and New York.
