By Brittany Gibson

Democratic presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. speaks at a Hispanic Heritage Month event at Wilshire Ebell Theatre on Sept. 15, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. | Mario Tama/Getty Images

MINTING MONEY — He raised more money than Nikki Haley. More than Tim Scott. More than Mike Pence and Chris Christie combined.

In fact, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — the environmental lawyer-turned-vaccine skeptic who has never held public office — raised more money in the latest fundraising period than anyone else running for president other than Donald Trump, Joe Biden and Ron DeSantis.

Now an independent candidate after leaving the Democratic primary, Kennedy’s powerhouse fundraising — the Kennedy family scion collected an eyebrow-raising $8.7 million in the third quarter — is making it harder to dismiss his potential impact as a player in 2024.

And it begs the question: who exactly is his donor base?

According to Federal Election Commission reports, Kennedy’s donors represent a range of professionals from across the entertainment industry. A stuntwoman, multiple entertainers and full-time YouTubers are among those who have contributed. So has Oliver Stone, who directed the film “JFK” about the government’s involvement in the assassination of the former president and uncle of the candidate. Stone has already given the maximum amount possible to Kennedy’s campaign — and a Stone family member has made a smaller donation.

A significant number of these artists and industry professionals hail from Kennedy’s home state of California — about $2.6 million of his take came from California, more than any other state. Yet his celebrity contributors are distributed across the country — he got a $10,000 check from plus-size Sports Illustrated model Ashley Graham, of Tennessee (meaning she’s actually due a small refund to comply with federal donation law limits).

A significant chunk of Kennedy’s backers work in the Health industry. There are physicians, dentists, psychologists and nurses, who make up more than $500,000 of Kennedy’s haul to date. And there’s also a brigade of practitioners of alternative medicine, including chiropractors, who brought an additional $120,000 worth of support to the Kennedy coffers.

A self-employed “synergist” from Texas donated more than $3,400. A spiritual teacher, employed by “God” according to the FEC paperwork, chipped in a couple hundred bucks. They’re joined by several spiritual counselors and energy healers, including another four-figure donor whose occupation is “spiritual energy/channel[ing]/crystal work.” All together, these donors brought in about $7,700.

Kennedy spent much of his career fighting environmental polluters and pushing government regulators to hold companies to account — his victorious lawsuit against the biotech company Monsanto is a regular feature of his stump speeches. During this work, in Kennedy’s telling, mothers of children with autism pleaded with him to turn his eye to pharmaceutical companies and the Food and Drug Administration, which oversees vaccine approvals.

Kennedy says one mother in particular showed up at his house unannounced with a stack of research papers, demanding he read through it. From that point on, he came to believe and promote false connections between vaccines and illness, and he’s claimed that “toxins” in vaccines can cause autism. He also started his own non-profit, Children’s Health Defense, which is mostly known for vaccine skepticism.

As a result of his focus on vaccines, his contributors include a contingent of vaccine-related researchers and advocates. There are donations from a social media manager at Kennedy’s non-profit, from vaccine safety advocates and also from a researcher at the Vaccine Safety Research Fund. Silicon Valley researcher-turned-Covid-19 vaccine skeptic Steve Kirsch has donated about $6,700 (meaning he’s also owed a small refund).

Self-designated “moms” and “homemakers” — they list their occupations as such — are also part of Kennedy’s coalition, backing his campaign to the tune of $230,000. While there’s nothing in the FEC records to indicate that any of these individuals are vaccine skeptics, they have been a core constituency of Kennedy’s support from before his presidential bid began.

Kennedy’s opposition to efforts to vaccinate against Covid-19, even while running as a Democrat, have made him an attractive candidate to some donors on the right. A POLITICO analysis of campaign finance data found that at least $100,000 from donors who previously gave to committees associated with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis or former President Donald Trump donated to Kennedy in the first few months after his launch — and the total from ex-Trump donors continued to grow in the most recent quarter.

Welcome to POLITICO Nightly. Reach out with news, tips and ideas at [email protected]. Or contact tonight’s author at [email protected] or on X (formerly known as Twitter) at @brittanyagibson.

GO INSIDE THE MILKEN INSTITUTE FUTURE OF HEALTH SUMMIT: POLITICO is proud to partner with the Milken Institute to feature a special edition of our Future Pulse newsletter at the 2023 Milken Institute Future of Health Summit from November 6-8. The newsletter takes readers inside one of the most influential gatherings of global health industry leaders and innovators solving the biggest public health issues to ensure a healthier, more resilient future for all. SUBSCRIBE TODAY TO RECEIVE EXCLUSIVE COVERAGE.

— New speaker contenders throw their hat in the ring: The field is now set — nine House Republicans are running for speaker, pitching themselves to a divided GOP conference. The conference is currently in the midst of a candidate forum, and is scheduled to vote on who to nominate Tuesday morning. A candidate needs to get a majority of GOP conference votes to advance to the House floor — and then a majority of votes on the House floor to win, which could still prove to be a tall task. Over the weekend, speaker hopeful Tom Emmer spoke with Donald Trump as the majority whip tries to squash internal concerns about his negative relationship with the former president.

— NYT admits error in Gaza hospital report: The New York Times walked back its initial coverage on the explosion that killed hundreds of Palestinians at a Gaza Strip hospital last week, saying in an editors’ note that the newspaper “relied too heavily on claims” made by the Hamas militant group. Hamas, which has been battling Israel since its Oct. 7 surprise attack on Israeli soil, called the blast a “horrific massacre” and blamed the Israeli government. Israel, however, blamed the Islamic Jihad, a smaller, more radical group that often works with Hamas.

— Menendez pleads not guilty to latest charge accusing him of acting as foreign agent: Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) pleaded not guilty in Manhattan federal court today to a charge that he secretly acted as an agent for the government of Egypt during his tenure as the chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Menendez’s appearance was his second in the past month. He pleaded not guilty in September to charges of bribery and extortion connected to his influential position in the U.S. Senate.

— Hogan withdraws from Harvard fellowships over campus’ ‘anti-Semitic vitriol’: Former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan announced today that he is withdrawing his offer to participate in two fellowships at Harvard University after the campus has been embroiled in controversy over its response to the Israel-Hamas war. Hogan offered to participate in fellowships at the John F. Kennedy School of Government and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health months ago but withdrew those offers today because of what he called “Harvard’s failure to immediately and forcefully denounce the anti-Semitic vitriol” after over 30 student groups released a statement that blamed Israel for the surprise Oct. 7 Hamas attack.

FIRST IN THE NATION — Former President Donald Trump signed up for the New Hampshire presidential primary today, becoming the first person who has served as president to file such paperwork in person more than once, reports the Associated Press. After signing up for the 2016 contest on the first day of the filing period eight years ago, Trump sent Vice President Mike Pence to file his paperwork for the 2020 contest. That was in keeping with a tradition of other incumbents who also sent surrogates, but his return today was something new.

PERRY, WE HARDLY KNEW YE — Republican businessman Perry Johnson suspended his long-shot bid for president on Friday after failing to gain traction in the race, reports the Associated Press. Johnson said the fact that he wasn’t permitted to participate in the debates played a major role in his decision. He accused the Republican National Committee of using “authoritarian power” to keep him off the debate stage despite the RNC contending he hadn’t met the necessary polling and donor qualifications.

Protestors carry placards and wave Armenian flags during a demonstration in support of Armenians in Brussels on Oct. 1, 2023. Azerbaijan denied accusations of ethnic cleansing to clear the enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh of its ethnic Armenian population. | Simon Wohlfahrt/AFP via Getty Images

ARMING ARMENIA — France is selling military equipment such as air defense systems to Armenia, the French government said today, as fears grow that Azerbaijan could follow up its seizure of Nagorno-Karabakh last month with assaults on its neighbor’s territory, write Laura Kayali and Gabriel Gavin.

The announcement on French arms comes just a month after Azerbaijan declared victory following a lightning military offensive in Nagorno-Karabakh, forcing more than 100,000 ethnic Armenians living in the breakaway region to flee their homes.

The concern — as raised by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken — is that may not be the end of Azerbaijan’s regional ambitions, and all eyes are now on the Zangezur corridor, a tract of land running along Armenia’s border with Iran. The danger is that another move by Baku’s forces could inflame a broader conflict in the Southern Caucasus — an area where Turkey, Russia and Iran all have core strategic interests.

France, the country with Europe’s largest Armenian diaspora community, made clear it was not going to sit on the sidelines.

“Even if we are not part of the same military and political alliances, we assume this defense relationship, which is based on the simple principle that you need to be able to defend yourself and your civilian population,” French Armed Forces Minister Sébastien Lecornu told his Armenian counterpart Suren Papikyan at a press conference.

BLAME GAME — The Defense Department ratcheted up its rhetoric against Iran today, saying it will hold Tehran ultimately responsible for a spate of recent drone and rocket attacks on American troops in the Middle East, writes Lara Seligman.

While the Pentagon does not have information that the government of Iran “explicitly ordered” the attacks on U.S. forces in the past week, the groups responsible for the incidents are backed by Tehran, DOD spokesperson Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder told reporters today.

A number of U.S. troops were injured during the attacks, which spanned several days and bases in Iraq and Syria, and an American contractor died of a cardiac episode while running from a false alarm at al Asad air base in Iraq.

“By virtue of the fact that they are supported by Iran, we will ultimately hold Iran responsible,” Ryder said.

Ryder’s comments today were a departure from the Pentagon’s more cautious rhetoric against Tehran since Hamas militants’ surprise attacks on Israel on Oct. 7 launched an escalating regional conflict.

JOIN 10/25 FOR A TALK ON THE FUTURE OF GRID RELIABILITY: The EPA’s proposed standards for coal and new natural gas fired power plants have implications for the future of the electric grid. These rules may lead to changes in the power generation mix—shifting to more renewable sources in favor of fossil-fuel plants. Join POLITICO on Oct. 25 for a deep-dive conversation on what it will take to ensure a reliable electric grid for the future. REGISTER NOW.

BEHIND THE CURTAIN — Who’s pulling the levers in America’s biggest city? New York Magazine set out to find out, dispatching reporters across the city to come back with a unique spin on a power list: the “most powerful New Yorkers you’ve never heard of.” From one of Mayor Eric Adams’ enforcers to a child of David Zwirner to someone who shapes coverages and hiring practices at the New York Times, you may not have heard of all of (or any of) the names on the list, but if you’ve visited or live in the city — or have money in the stock market or like to watch Netflix comedy specials — these people have significantly impacted your lives.

On this date in 1947: Actor Gary Cooper (far left at microphone) testifies at a hearing in Washington of the House Un-American Activities Committee. Seated (right) at committee table are Reps. Richard B. Vail (R-Ill.); J. Parnell Thomas (R-N.J.), chairman; John McDowell (R-Pa.) and John S. Wood (D-Ga.), all committee members. | Henry Griffin/AP Photo

Did someone forward this email to you? Sign up here.

Follow us on Twitter

Follow us

To change your alert settings, please log in at https://www.politico.com/_login?base=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.politico.com/settings

This email was sent to [email protected] by: POLITICO, LLC 1000 Wilson Blvd. Arlington, VA, 22209, USA

Please click here and follow the steps to unsubscribe.