A senior adviser to independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced she was leaving the campaign Wednesday, citing an “increasingly hateful and divisive atmosphere,” a blow to the third-party bid as it steps up ballot access efforts nationwide.
Angela Stanton King, the campaign’s head of Black voter outreach, said Kennedy’s campaign “no longer aligns with my values.”
“After much reflection, I’ve decided to step away from the political theater,” Stanton King wrote on social media. “I will continue to advise RFK Jr. on key community issues.”
“Now, it’s time for me to pursue peace and fully dedicate myself to nonprofit work, supporting pregnant women and returning citizens,” she continued. “This new chapter excites me, as I focus on making a tangible difference where it’s needed most.”
Stanton King was a key Kennedy adviser on the issue of abortion, expected to be a major focus in battleground states this November. Critics have repeatedly scrutinized Kennedy and running mate Nicole Shanahan’s conflicting comments on abortion rights.
Kennedy, who previously said there should be no federal restriction on abortion care access, changed his position earlier this month to support some restrictions after urging from Shanahan and Stanton King.
Shanahan said last month that she and Kennedy are “dedicated to bringing to light solutions in the best interest of mother and baby.”
Stanton King was a common fixture at Kennedy campaign events, personally introducing Shanahan at her first campaign event earlier this month.
Previously a supporter of former President Trump, Stanton King was herself pardoned by Trump in 2020 after serving six months of home confinement in 2007 for her role in a car theft scheme and was later a GOP House candidate in Atlanta.
During that race, Stanton King embraced the QAnon conspiracy theory and later falsely claimed that the 2020 election was stolen. She called for a military coup to oust President Biden in early 2021, a post she has since deleted.
CBS News reported Wednesday that Stanton King’s departure was due to her support for Trump, which she vehemently denied.
“Reports that I’ve been let go from the RFK campaign for ANY reason are 100% ABSOLUTELY FALSE,” she wrote in a social media post.
The Hill has reached out to the Kennedy campaign for comment.