Family members of late United Farm Workers co-founder Cesar Chavez are endorsing President Joe Biden's reelection campaign, sending a message to independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. after his attempts to link his campaign with his father's historic ties to the civil rights leader.
"Today, my grandfather's bust sits in the Oval Office — a reminder that President Biden understands the power of organizing and working people and recognizes the impact of my grandfather's legacy to continue to mobilize our communities into action," Julie Chavez Rodriguez, who is also Biden's campaign manager, told CBS News.
"In an election that will determine the fate of organized labor, our Latino community, and our democracy, I could not be more humbled to accept the support of my family as one of many that will power us to victory in November," she said.
Fernando and Paul Chavez, the sons of Cesar Chavez, said in a statement that they are endorsing Biden's campaign.
Paul Chavez said he is endorsing Biden because of his "bonds of affection and respect for a president who by his character and actions consistently reflects the genuine legacy of my father, Cesar Chavez."
The endorsement comes after Kennedy used a photo of his father, Robert F. Kennedy Sr., and Chavez taken in 1968 to promote an event he will hold in Los Angeles on Saturday, according to the Los Angeles Times.
“Celebrate Cesar Chavez Day with RFK Jr!” the promotional says, showing a large photo of the elder Kennedy with Chavez, taken after the labor leader ended a 25-day fast supporting a strike against grape producers.
"Come down to the iconic Union Station in Los Angeles to celebrate the life and legacy of Cesar Chavez, a good friend of RFK and RFK Jr,” the promotion adds.
The Chavez family was outraged by his use of the photograph to tie his campaign with his father's support for the United Farm Workers and its assertions that the late labor leader would have supported him.
"When we saw Bobby Kennedy begin to use images of my father, and then when we heard about this event in L.A., it really prompted us to stand up and to make sure that people understood that the Chavez family does not support his campaign,” Paul Chavez told the Times.
"We’ve never seen anybody go as far as using that image for political gain," Paul's son Andres Chavez added.
Paul, Fernando, and Andres Chavez operate the National Chavez Center in Keene, California, and said that not only did they support Biden's reelection bid, but said Cesar would have backed Biden as well.
Both Biden and former President Donald Trump are also courting the Hispanic vote, as 36.2 million Latino voters are eligible to cast ballots this year, up by 6 million voters since the 2020 election, according to Pew Research numbers.
Biden is still gathering most of the Hispanic vote support, but his backing has dropped by 12 points since the 2020 election among the demographic, a CBS News poll in February revealed.
Biden's reelection campaign also pushed back against Kennedy's attempts to use his legacy name by inviting members of his extended family to the White House on St. Patrick's Day for a private tour before including them in a holiday reception.
During the event, members of the Kennedy family posed for pictures with Biden to signal that they stand with his campaign.
Biden also has busts of both Robert F. Kennedy and Cesar Chavez on prominent display in the Oval Office.
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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