(NewsNation) — Tony Lyons, co-founder of the pro-Kennedy super PAC, accused the Democratic National Committee of engaging in censorship and vilification, suggesting that the organization is preventing the American people from learning about alternative, independent candidates, including the man he supports: Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Also Tuesday, Kennedy Jr. announced technology entrepreneur Nicole Shanahan as his running mate, forming an insurgent third-party ticket that aims to upend the 2024 race between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump.
"Seventy percent of the people in this country in four different polls say that they would prefer not to have to vote for Trump or Biden," said Lyons, co-founder of American Values 2024, in a Tuesday interview on NewsNation's "Dan Abrams Live."
Lyons claimed there was "incredible censorship" preventing Americans from learning about Kennedy, but argued that once voters become familiar with him and his running mate, "they're going to recognize that those are the candidates who they really want to run this country."
"The DNC is just running this ... incredible assault on democracy, that they are not letting the American people know who these candidates are," Lyons said.
Kennedy, the son of the late Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, has floated the scenario of a "contingent election" in which no candidate reaches 270 electoral votes, sending the choice of president to the U.S. House. Kennedy allies claim this could open a path to the White House despite failing to win the electoral college outright.
Recent polling data suggests Kennedy's candidacy could siphon votes from both major parties, with conflicting reports on whether he pulls more support from Trump or Biden.
Kennedy's choice of Shanahan, a politically active mega-donor who funded a high-profile Superbowl ad for the campaign, underscores the significance of financial resources in modern politics. The move is seen as an effort to counterbalance the substantial war chest amassed by major party candidates.
"Bobby Kennedy is a very serious candidate with a clear path to the presidency," Lyons insisted.