Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is inspiring a crossover voting movement among Republicans similar to those seen in past presidential primaries but with a twist.
Janice Foster, currently a registered Republican in Lexington, Kentucky, told The Epoch Times she is registering Democrat to vote in the primaries not because she sees RFK Jr. as an easier candidate for her party to beat in general elections, but because she sees him as a better candidate for America than President Joe Biden.
“I’d rather Kennedy than Biden,” said Mrs. Foster, “I’d rather sacrifice my vote for a Republican than not do my part to make sure he doesn’t get back into office.”
In crossover voting, which can only occur in states with open primaries, electors switch parties to vote in the opposing primary usually in an effort to put their weakest candidate on the ballot and then switch votes for their original party’s candidate in general elections.
There are currently 20 states with open primaries or semi-open primaries. They include South Carolina, Texas, Georgia, Indiana, Virginia, Ohio, and Illinois.
Semi-open primaries allow unaffiliated voters to participate in the party primary of their choice without affiliating with the party.
There are also several states like New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and New York that have semi-closed primaries, which allows unaffiliated voters to vote in either primary, but they must register with that party on the day of primary voting.
Registered Republican Erin Fortin, a native of Maine where lawmakers passed legislation last year making the state’s primary semi-open, told The Epoch Times, she is “closing her eyes” and switching back to being a Democrat voter because she too wants to help foster Mr. Kennedy’s chances of beating Mr. Biden for the nomination.
“For me, the primaries are now more about protecting America against the worst candidate from the other party than trying to promote the weaker one for party gain purposes,” said Mrs. Fortin, who said she was a lifelong registered Democrat until the pandemic.
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