Former Republican presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Republican presidential candidate and former U.S. President Donald Trump shake hands at a campaign rally at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona, on August 23, 2024.
Rebecca Noble | Getty Images
former independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Won’t appear on the ballot In North Carolina and Michigan, appeals courts issued two separate rulings Friday.
election Authorities in two battleground states had previously decided to keep Kennedy’s name on the ballot, rejecting his request to withdraw from the race.
Friday’s ruling is good news for Republican presidential candidates Donald Trump. Trump polls better in two-way races against Democratic candidates in North Carolina and Michigan Kamala Harris More than a six-candidate race, according to the poll average true clear polling.
When Kennedy suspended his long-shot campaign and abandoned his Support behind Trump On Aug. 23, he said he planned to remove his name from the ballot in 10 battleground states where Trump would benefit from having the race reduced to a head-to-head showdown with Harris.
But Kennedy’s plan was easier said than done. In three battleground states: North Carolina, Michigan and Wisconsin, state election authorities rejected Kennedy’s requests to withdraw from the vote.
North Carolina State Board of Elections August 29 voted against The We the People Party, which nominated Kennedy in the state, argued that “it would be impractical to reprint already printed ballots and begin absentee voting within the deadline set by state law.”
Absentee ballots in North Carolina were scheduled to begin being mailed on Friday, but the process has been halted after a state appeals court granted Kennedy’s request.
In a memo sent to North Carolina’s 100 county elections directors, State Election Commission general counsel Paul Cox directed directors not to mail out any ballots but to retain those that already have Kennedy’s name on them .
The board has not yet decided whether to appeal the ruling, he wrote.
“The court also ordered the removal of our party’s ballot lines (including Kennedy and (his running mate Nicole) Shanahan),” Cox wrote. “Obviously, this is a major undertaking for everyone. “Our attorneys are reviewing the order and deciding how to move forward. A decision has not yet been made on whether to appeal the ruling.”
Trump welcomed the N.C. Court of Appeals ruling in a speech at the Fraternal Order of Police in Charlotte on Friday afternoon.
“That sounds like a bad thing for (Kennedy). But it’s not. It’s actually a good thing,” he said. “He’s an incredible team player and he doesn’t want anyone to vote his name because, as you know, he’s totally behind us. He’s with us.”
“They (will) vote for me now. All Bobbys will vote for me,” Trump said.
But polls showed that when the field was narrowed to two candidates, not all voters who planned to support a third-party candidate in North Carolina voted for Trump. While the Republicans’ chances of a head-to-head matchup improved, so did Harris’ vote share.
In the state’s six-candidate race, Trump and Harris are tied at 46.3%, according to RealClearPolling. In a one-on-one matchup, Trump leads Harris by a slim margin of 47.9% to 47.2%.
In Michigan, Kennedy’s initial request was denied due to state law, according to Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson Minor party candidates cannot withdraw from the presidential campaign.
Kennedy sued Benson over the decision, but a judge ruled Tuesday that his name will remain on the ballot.
Court of Appeal on Friday Decide The ruling was overturned and Kennedy’s request to withdraw from the vote was granted.
Under Friday’s ruling, the only state still refusing Kennedy’s withdrawal efforts It’s Wisconsin.
On August 27, the Wisconsin Elections Commission voted 5 to 1 to keep Kennedy’s name on the ballot. Kennedy filed a lawsuit Tuesday challenging the decision.
