Michigan and Wisconsin decide that Robert F. Kennedy Jr. must remain on the ballot
Michigan and Wisconsin have decided that Robert F. Kennedy Jr. must remain on the ballot after he announced he would suspend his campaign and drop out in some swing states. Photo by David Blakeman/EPA-EFE
Aug. 28 (UPI) – Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will not be allowed to withdraw his name from the crucial swing states of Michigan and Wisconsin, authorities decided. Both states cited their own state laws to prevent Kennedy from dropping out of the election so late in the campaign. Kennedy, who has endorsed former President Donald Trump, wanted to remove his name to give Trump a better chance of winning these swing states.
Ann Jacobs, chairwoman of the Wisconsin Elections Commission, said state law gave her no leeway to keep Kennedy on the ballot because people voted to keep him, even after a recall petition.
In Michigan, Kennedy was chosen as the candidate at the Natural Law Party convention. His nomination had already been officially confirmed by the Secretary of State under a law designed to protect candidates from minor parties.
In Nevada, Kennedy dropped a lawsuit he had previously filed to get a spot on the ballot, ensuring that he would not run as a candidate in the state’s presidential election.
Kennedy’s name will also not appear on the ballot in Arizona and Pennsylvania, and his status in North Carolina remains uncertain.
Kennedy said he would stay on the ballot in the clearly “red” and “blue” states to give his supporters a choice without influencing the outcome of the presidential election.
