In a really weird way this might actually be helpful to the campaign. When RFK dropped out of the race, both Kamala and Trump saw a boost in the polls, meaning there are people that supported RFK that were more Democratic leaning than Republican leaning, though it should be noted Trump went up only a few points more than Kamala did.

JD Vance has been the most unpopular VP pick in modern American history. While RFK is of course weird, I personally wouldn’t be surprised if he’s seen in a more favourable light than Vance is. The swap could potentially win some of RFK’s supporters who moved their support to Kamala over to Trump and the Republicans, and could give the opportunity for “unity” messaging considering Trump would be bringing in a former opponent as well as the Democratic association with the Kennedy name.

Will say though, not sure how effective this would be compared to the Trump campaign simply swapping Vance with someone else that was on the original running for VP pick. Still shocked knowing that Burgum was going to be picked before Trump was swayed to choose Vance, and that Tim Scott wasn’t his go-to considering Scott’s potential for Republicans playing identity politics and his talent in campaign fundraising.