Just hours after Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced he would run for president as an independent, more than $11 million gushed to the coffers of the super PAC supporting him.
American Values 2024 said it raised $11.28 million in just six hours following Kennedy’s announcement in Philadelphia on Indigenous People’s Day, according to a press release.
“Millions of independent-minded Americans are seeing through the most powerful censorship and propaganda campaign against any candidate in American political history,” said Tony Lyons, a co-founder of the PAC, in the press release. “They are angry at the DNC for attempting to disenfranchise them, eager to support an honest Democrat and more open than ever before in American history to an Independent and honest candidate.”
Lyons is also in talks with billionaire-entrepreneur Elon Musk to court his support, he said in an interview with POLITICO following Kennedy’s speech in Philadelphia. Lyons declined to share details of their discussions or any potential contributions on Monday.
But he said, “if somebody like Elon Musk is willing to join the fight, he’s a very big guy in the playground fight.”
When asked if Musk was excited about joining “the fight,” Lyons said, “He seems to be, and I don’t think it would be inconsistent with things that he has said and things that he’s done.”
American Values 2024 said that the donations on Monday came from “people of all political persuasions.”
Lyons predicted Kennedy’s decision to run as an independent would lead to strong fundraising numbers from a range of different ideological supporters.
“I love the idea of getting money out of politics. You know, it’s a tough question,” said Lyons, also a longtime publisher of Kennedy’s books.
The PAC has raised money from prominent Democratic donors like Abby Rockefeller, but the majority of the money given to the PAC has come from Republican donors, including former Donald Trump donor Tim Mellon.
American Values 2024 has now raised $28 million since it was founded.
