(Bloomberg) -- A super political action committee supporting Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s long-shot bid for the presidency as an independent raised $11.3 million in the hours after he renounced the Democratic party where his family has played a prominent role.

The money brings the total raised by American Values 2024 PAC to more than $28 million, the group said. That figure would be a respectable haul even for many Republican candidates’ PACs. Only the groups supporting President Joe Biden, former President Donald Trump and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis had more money on hand, according to their most recent disclosures from June. 

Kennedy’s decision to run as an independent allows him to bypass the Democratic primary — where Biden’s loyalists had stacked the rules in favor of the incumbent — and focus on the general election in November 2024. But Kennedy now needs the resources to circulate petitions to get on the ballot in enough states to mount a credible campaign. Some Republicans are worried that Kennedy’s anti-vaccine views mean he will draw more support from the GOP nominee than Biden.

The super PAC has already hired 70 staffers, said spokesman Trevor Fitzgibbon. Kennedy’s fundraising blitz came through an in-person fundraiser in Philadelphia Monday night in addition to online donations, he said. 

The Kennedy campaign also held a separate fundraiser but did not immediately disclose the amount raised.  

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