In a recent development, a New York-based campaign official for Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has been pitching Republican voters to lend their support to his independent presidential bid. Rita Palma, who identified herself as the Kennedy campaign's state director in New York, argues that backing Kennedy would help Donald Trump defeat Joe Biden if he is on the ballot in the state.

During a meeting with Empire State Republicans, Palma emphasized that including Kennedy on the ballot in New York would increase the chances of Trump winning the historically Democratic state. She stated, "The only way that Trump can even, remote possibility of taking New York is if Bobby is on the ballot. If it's Trump vs. Biden, Biden wins... With Bobby in the mix, anything can happen."

Palma's insistence on Kennedy's inclusion on the ballot has sparked a response from the Biden campaign, which claims that Kennedy's candidacy is a spoiler that ultimately benefits Trump. However, Kennedy's campaign spokesperson, Stefanie Spear, downplayed Palma's role and stated that her comments do not reflect the campaign's strategy.

Although Palma is listed as a contact person for training events for petition signatures on the Kennedy campaign website, Spear stated that Palma is responsible for organizing volunteer shifts and not involved in electoral strategy. Palma confirmed the authenticity of the video where she made her statements, but the campaign maintains that she was speaking as an individual rather than as a representative of the campaign.

The video of Palma's presentation, initially posted on YouTube but later removed, showed her using slides to outline the argument for Republicans to support Kennedy. Among the suggested actions to "block Biden from winning the presidency" were collecting signatures for Kennedy, assisting Trump in Pennsylvania, and voting for Kennedy.

Palma also took to social media to encourage Republicans in traditionally Democratic states, including New York, to support Kennedy and make their "red vote count." She expressed the hope of shaking up the election and reducing Biden's electoral votes.

Interestingly, Palma also invited attendees at the meeting to sign petitions for Kennedy's ballot access, even if they did not plan to vote for him. She stated that signing the petitions would add more choices and support the democratic process while aiming to remove Biden from deep-blue states.

Despite Palma's efforts to appeal to Republicans, she did recommend that Trump supporters volunteer with his campaign in Pennsylvania. This move aligns with Kennedy's campaign's attacks on Biden and its claim that Biden poses a greater threat to democracy than Trump.

While Democrats and Biden allies have been actively countering Kennedy's campaign, the Trump campaign has yet to acknowledge the independent candidate. Trump himself publicly welcomed Kennedy's candidacy, referring to him as "the most radical left candidate in the race."

For the Kennedy campaign, gaining ballot access in New York is a crucial and challenging step towards qualifying for the ballot in all 50 states and Washington, D.C. Organizers are working in all 62 counties of New York, aiming to gather 45,000 valid signatures between April 16 and May 28.

As the 2024 presidential race continues to unfold, the impact of Kennedy's independent bid and his appeal to Republican voters remain to be seen.