- Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is suing at least three states that won’t remove his name
- It comes after he suspended his campaign in 10 states to help Trump’s chances.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is now suing to have his name removed from the 2024 presidential ballot in North Carolina.
The Democratic presidential candidate turned independent suspended his campaign in late August in 10 competitive states and endorsed Donald Trump.
But RFK Jr. faces a hurdle in North Carolina because the state has already printed its ballots and will begin sending them out this week for absentee and early voting.
“It would not be practical to reprint ballots that have already been printed and meet the state law deadline to begin absentee voting,” the North Carolina state election board said in a statement on Aug. 29.
The request to remove RFK Jr.’s name came after 1.7 million ballots had already been printed. The state said it would cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to produce new ballots and the board will begin sending out mail-in ballots on Friday.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is now suing North Carolina to have his name removed from the ballot after the state’s election board denied his request not to be included after 1.7 million ballots had already been printed.
Board members voted three to two, along Democratic and Republican party lines, to deny Kennedy’s request.
But the former candidate’s new legal action seeks to force the reprinting and removal of Kennedy’s name so as not to harm Trump’s chances in the key state.
Vice President Kamala Harris has taken a small lead in polls in North Carolina, which voted red in 2016 and 2020 but is considered a battleground as it leans more toward the center with each passing election and, like many other key states, has a Democratic governor.
If RFK Jr. ultimately fails to remove his name from the ballot in North Carolina, it could undermine his decision to suspend his candidacy to benefit the Republican candidate.
On August 23, the day after the conclusion of the Democratic National Convention, Kennedy suspended his campaign in 10 of the most competitive states, including the seven key swing states of Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.
RFK Jr. appeared at Trump’s rally in Arizona that day and endorsed his candidacy.
He was also named co-chair of Trump’s transition team alongside the former president’s two sons, Donald Jr. and Eric Trump, former Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard and vice presidential nominee Sen. JD Vance.
Last month, RFK Jr. suspended his campaign in the 10 most competitive states in an effort not to hurt Donald Trump’s chances in the battleground states.
“Our polls consistently showed that if I were to remain on the ballot in the battleground states, I would likely hand the election to the Democrats, with whom I disagree on the most existential issues,” Kennedy told reporters when he announced his withdrawal in Phoenix, Arizona, last month.
The dispute in North Carolina is not the only state where Kennedy is facing problems for removing his name from the ballot so soon before Election Day in November.
Wisconsin and Michigan also deny the permit.
“Any person who files nomination papers and is eligible to appear on the ballot may not decline the nomination. The name of that person shall appear on the ballot except in the event of the death of the person,” Wisconsin election law states, as cited by the board that denied her request not to appear on the ballot.
However, Kennedy has managed to successfully withdraw from elections in other battleground states such as Pennsylvania, Nevada and Arizona.