PHILADELPHIA (NEWSnet/AP) — President Joe Biden accepted endorsements from at least 15 members of the Kennedy political family during a campaign stop Thursday as he seeks re-election to the White House.

Kerry Kennedy, a daughter of former Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, niece of former President John F. Kennedy and sister of the current presidential candidate, delivered the endorsements in Philadelphia by calling Biden “my hero.”

“We want to make crystal clear our feelings that the best way forward for America is to reelect Joe Biden and Kamala Harris for four more years," she said.

She never directly mentioned her brother, but insisted “there are only two candidates with any chance of winning the presidency” this year, framing the campaign as a choice between Biden and Trump, with no room for a third party contender.

The decision to highlight the Kennedy family’s support is an indication of how seriously Biden’s team is taking the threat of a long-shot candidate to siphon support.

Biden used the campaign event to keep up the pressure on Trump.

“Donald Trump’s vision is one of anger, hate, revenge and retribution,” Biden said, adding, "I have a very different view of America, one of hope and optimism."

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who is running as an independent, downplayed the endorsements from his relatives. He wrote on social media that his family was “divided in our opinions but united in our love for each other.”

Given the expectation this year’s campaign will be decided by thin margins, both Democrats and Republicans are concerned that Kennedy Jr. could play the role of spoiler.

The endorsements are hardly a surprise. Members of the prominent Democratic family have been vocal that they don’t see eye to eye politically with Kennedy Jr., who started his campaign as a protest primary challenger to Biden in the Democratic Party.

Biden last month hosted more than 30 members of Kennedy’s extended family at the White House for St. Patrick’s Day, when family members posed with the president in the Rose Garden and Oval Office.

Some notable members of the family were not publicly endorsing, including Caroline Kennedy, the U.S. ambassador to Australia, and nonprofit leader Maria Shriver, which the Biden campaign said was due to their nonpolitical professional roles.

Shriver, however, has been a conspicuous White House guest recently, attending the State of the Union and speaking at a women’s history month reception last month.

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