As I scoured through Crisis Magazine's archive, I noticed there was not even a single mention of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (RFK Jr.). So I thought that, given his recent announcement of his bid for the leadership of the Democratic Party, a piece about him would be of interest to Crisis readers.

His uncle, John F. Kennedy, the 35th president of the United States, was assassinated in 1963. Five years later, in 1968, his father, Robert F. Kennedy, the former United States attorney general, who at the time was running for the Democratic presidential nomination, was also assassinated. His cousin, the son of JFK, also known as John-John or JFK Jr., who was an American attorney, journalist, and magazine publisher, tragically died in a plane crash in 1999. Needless to say, the Kennedy family has been marred by tragedy.

So, who is RFK Jr., and why should American voters care? I'll sketch out the main reasons as to why I believe RFK Jr. could be a strong candidate beyond partisan lines for those who are looking to vote for a person beyond the disappointment of two political parties. At 69 years old, he's the fourth member of the Kennedy family to run for the Democratic nomination for president. He is an environmental lawyer and the founder and chairman (currently on leave) of the Children's Health Defense (CHD).

The CHD is a nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting children and their fundamental rights. According to the organization, 54 percent of U.S. children are chronically ill. Their mission is to bring an end to childhood health epidemics by both seeking ways to protect children from harmful exposures and holding entities such as pharmaceutical companies that they claim are responsible for this accountable. Their mission also includes fighting against corruption, mass surveillance, and censorship which seek to elevate profits over the well-being of human civilization. And they strive to protect health freedom and bodily autonomy.