Independent candidate for president Robert F. Kennedy Jr. holds campaign event in Lincoln

Independent candidate for president Robert F. Kennedy Jr. spoke to a crowd of several hundred people at Lincoln’s Royal Grove Tuesday night.

Robert Jr. is the nephew of former president John F. Kennedy and son of former senator Robert Kennedy.

Kennedy spent much of his speech Tuesday talking about how a small number of investment firms, namely BlackRock, Vanguard and State Street, are taking away wealth from the American middle class.

“They own all the business in our country,” Kennedy said. “They now want to own all the land, the real estate, the agricultural land and the single family homes.”

Kennedy also touted a recent Quinnipiac poll which shows Kennedy beating Trump and Biden among voters under 35, though several other polls have Kennedy with single digit percentages of support nationwide.

Kennedy said he is doing well with younger generations because they get their news from podcasts and alternative news sources.

“My generation — people who love the Kennedys — they don't like me because they're getting their news from MSNBC and CNN,” Kennedy said. “And if I was living in that information bubble, I'd have a very low opinion of myself.”

Kennedy supporters at the rally expressed their concerns on a variety of topics, including regenerative farming, marijuana legalization and cryptocurrency.

And nearly each one said they supported Kennedy because he was the only one addressing their distinct issues.

Breanna Demaray, a Kennedy supporter from Lincoln, said she appreciates the work he has done as an environmental lawyer.

“I like a lot of what he does for the environment, he really goes to bat against corporations that other people aren't normally willing to fight,” she said.

But not everyone at the event was a Kennedy supporter.

18-year-old Chris Carpenter said Kennedy brings up problems without mentioning solutions.

“I find it interesting that there's a noticeable lack of any policies,” Carpenter said. “All he talks about are issues, you know, poor people are suffering, healthcare is not great, and that's it, never a solution.”

Kennedy must gather at least 2,500 valid signatures from registered Nebraska voters to appear on the general election ballot in November 2024.