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. will not appear on the ballot in North Carolina and Michigan, an appeals court ruled Friday in two separate rulings.
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 candidate Trump. In North Carolina and Michigan, Trump is polling better in a two-way race against Democratic nominee Kamala Harris than in a six-candidate race, according to an average of polls . true clear polling.
When Kennedy suspended his campaign on Aug. 23 and threw his support behind Trump, he said he planned to remove his name from the ballot in ten battleground states where Trump would narrow the race to a head-to-head matchup. Benefit.
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, NCSBE’s general counsel Paul Cox directed the directors not to send any ballots but to keep those already bearing Kennedy’s name.
The NCSBE has not yet decided whether to appeal the ruling, he wrote.
“The court also ordered the cancellation of our People’s Party vote line (including Kennedy and (Nicole) Shanahan),” Cox wrote. “Obviously, this is a significant undertaking for everyone. Our attorneys The order is being reviewed and a decision is being made on how to proceed.”
In Michigan, Kennedy’s initial request was denied due to state law, which prohibits minor party candidates from withdrawing from the presidential race.
He sued Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson over the decision, but a judge ruled Tuesday that Kennedy’s 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.
“Although this request was made close to the deadline for defendants to provide notice of their candidates to local election officials, it was not made so late that laziness should apply,” the three appeals court judges wrote. “Moreover, We conclude that the plaintiff has a clear legal right to have his name removed from the ballot as there is no statutory authority barring him from withdrawing.”
The only state still rejecting Kennedy’s efforts to withdraw troops is Wisconsin, according to Friday’s ruling.
On August 27, the Wisconsin Elections Commission voted 5-1 to keep Kennedy’s name on the ballot. Kennedy filed a lawsuit Tuesday challenging the decision.
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