


Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will be on the ballot in Florida, his campaign announced Friday, after he secured a nomination from the obscure “Reform Party”—as his campaign deploys an aggressive and laborious strategy to secure his place on ballots in all 50 states.
Robert Kennedy Jr. campaigns for President of the United States at a rally on April 28, 2024 in ... [+]
The Reform Party, founded by former independent presidential candidate Ross Perot, voted Thursday to officially nominate Kennedy for its ticket in Florida, Kennedy’s campaign said.
In addition to Florida, Kennedy and his running mate, Nicole Shanahan, will also appear on the ballot in Utah, Michigan, California, Delaware, Oklahoma, Texas and Hawaii, his campaign said, adding that it’s collected enough signatures to also appear on the ballots in New Hampshire, Nevada, North Carolina, Idaho, Nebraska, Iowa, New Jersey and Ohio.
While Kennedy hasn’t secured ballot access in enough states to secure the 270 electoral college votes needed to win the presidential election, his presence on the ballot in just one of the six swing states (Michigan, Pennsylvania, Nevada, Arizona, Georgia and Wisconsin) that are expected to decide the 2024 election could be enough to sway the outcome as President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump are consistently polling within single digits of each other.
Without the backing of an official political party, Kennedy is required to petition for ballot access in most states, though he’s attempted a workaround in several states by soliciting nominations from lesser-known political parties, including the Natural Law Party of Michigan and the American Independent Party in California.
Kennedy’s campaign has also filed lawsuits challenging ballot access rules in several states, including Utah and Maine, and his campaign has admittedly delayed filing petitions until the last minute to avoid challenges from the Democratic Party, his campaign spokesperson Stefanie Spear told the New York Times.
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The DNC filed a complaint against Kennedy with the Federal Election Commission in February, alleging it illegally coordinated with the American Values 2024 PAC backing his candidacy to secure ballot access.
Kennedy initially launched his presidential bid as a Democrat, but later switched to run as an independent, allowing him to continue his bid if he lost the primary election to Biden. Polls are split on whether Kennedy, a scion of the country’s most famous Democratic family but whose criticism of Covid-19 protocols appeal to Republicans, would draw more votes from Biden or Trump. Kennedy is currently polling at about 10% in the six battleground states in a six-way matchup that also includes independent candidate Cornel West, Libertarian candidate Lars Mapstead and Green Party candidate Jill Stein, along with former President Donald Trump and Biden, according to a recent New York Times/Siena/Philadelphia Inquirer poll.
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