Third parties are a 'very real threat,' Begala said
CNN political commentator compares third-party candidacies to cockroaches
Paul Begala, a former aide to Bill Clinton, said Monday that third-party candidacies were like "cockroaches," and warned RFK Jr. could throw the election to Donald Trump.
Paul Begala, a former adviser to Bill Clinton, compared third-parties to cockroaches on Monday and said Robert F. Kennedy Jr would throw "the whole election to Donald Trump," which he said was a very real threat.
While discussing the Biden campaign and DNC effort to "diminish" RFK Jr.'s third-party effort, Begala, a CNN political commentator, suggested Kennedy could throw the election to Trump and compared third-parties to cockroaches.
"Third parties elected Donald Trump in 2016, about six to seven percent of Americans voted third-party. That third-party vote dropped to less than two, which is how Biden won. So, anything over two, Democrats are in trouble. Kennedy alone is getting 15 in some of these places. So yeah, my view is third parties, they’re like cockroaches in the kitchen, okay?"
He added, "It’s not what they carry off that upsets you. It’s what they fall into and foul up. Bobby Kennedy can fall into every swing state and foul it up for Joe Biden and throw the whole election to Donald Trump. So, I’m very happy as a Democrat that the Democrats are on this because it’s a very real threat," Begala said.
The other panelists laughed at the comparison, as guest-host Phil Mattingly asked about how Donald Trump's campaign was looking at RFK Jr.'s role in the contest.
CNN political commentator and former adviser to Bill Clinton Paul Begala bashes third-parties during an appearance on CNN. (Screenshot/CNN)
CNN's Alayna Treene said Trump's team believed RFK Jr.'s candidacy was a wildcard.
"When I talked to them, they recognize that he’s kind of a wildcard in some senses. And especially when it comes to the people who are really against the system. When I talk to Trump‘s team, people close to the former president, people like Steve Bannon say this, that they think that the people who are anti-vaccine, anti-establishment, have very strong positions on Ukraine, not wanting to give more money to Ukraine funding. Those are the type of people that do normally go for Donald Trump, but could potentially go for someone like RFK jr.," she said. "And that's where there is concern."
The Democratic National Committee (DNC) is establishing an official committee, led by former Pete Buttigieg campaign staffer and Democratic operative Lis Smith, to counter the third party threat, NBC News reported. They plan to counter third party efforts through an "aggressive communications component," opposition research and legal action.
Democratic strategists have repeatedly warned that third parties are a threat to Biden, and could propel Trump to victory in 2024.
President Joe Biden speaks at a campaign event at Pullman Yards on March 9, 2024, in Atlanta, Georgia. (Megan Varner/Getty Images)
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Begala, a Biden supporter, has urged the president to directly attack Trump on the campaign trail.
"Stop bragging and start bashing," Begala said, suggesting they frame Trump as not only a threat to democracy, but a threat to lower prescription drug costs and lower health care premiums.
RFK Jr. is expected to announce his pick for vice president on Tuesday, which could reportedly give him a boost in donations, Fox News Digital reported.
Former US President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks during a Buckeye Values PAC Rally in Vandalia, Ohio, on March 16, 2024. (KAMIL KRZACZYNSKI/AFP via Getty Images)
That Kennedy plans to announce a running mate means he met a necessary benchmark required by two dozen states to be listed on the ballot, propelling the independent further toward a face off against the presumptive GOP nominee, Trump and Biden in November.
Fox News' Danielle Wallace contributed to this report.
Hanna Panreck is an associate editor at Fox News.
