Tim Scott: ‘No doubt’ RFK Jr. on ballot would ‘bleed votes from the Democrats’

There is “no doubt” that having independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on the ballot in the November presidential election would help Republicans, Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) said Wednesday.

“Having that third party candidate on the ballot, no matter the choice for vice president, is gonna bleed votes from the Democrats,” Scott told Newsmax’s Eric Bolling in an interview, highlighted by Mediaite.

Kennedy announced tech attorney and entrepreneur Nicole Shanahan would join his campaign as his running mate Tuesday, calling her a daughter of immigrants who overcame “daunting” obstacles to achieve the American dream.

Scott called Shanahan, former wife of Google co-founder Sergey Brin, a “liberal,” because “she believes America is only better if we change who we are.”

The South Carolina senator said Shanahan believes in the “redistribution of wealth” and pushed back on the idea because “I’m living, breathing testament to the fact that if you work hard, you get lucky.”

Scott suspended his GOP presidential primary bid in November and endorsed Trump in January.

Scott, who is on the shortlist for Trump’s vice presidential candidate, said Kennedy choosing Shanahan as his running mate has Democrats “scurrying around” and running ads, attempting to keep “Black voters in Detroit loyal to the Democrat Party.”

After Kennedy’s announcement, Trump called the independent candidate’s campaign “great for MAGA.” The former president called Kennedy the “most Radical Left Candidate” in the race and said he would “be taking votes from Crooked Joe Biden.”

According to a new Quinnipiac University poll, Biden is narrowly ahead of Trump, but the survey found that when a third-party candidate is included in national polling, Trump benefits.

The poll found Biden polling at 48 percent support and Trump with 45 percent. When an independent or third-party candidate is thrown into the mix, Trump leads Biden 39 percent to 38 percent.