His campaign announced Monday a significant victory for candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr.: He will appear on the ballot in California, the state with the most electoral college votes.
Kennedy was endorsed by the American Independent Party (AIP) of California. The campaign formally confirmed its qualifying on Monday by filing the required papers with the California secretary of state.
Kennedy recognized the AIP’s ties to segregationist and ex-Alabama governor George Wallace in a five-minute video message. He did, however, stress the party’s transformation, painting it as a representation of compassion, unity, idealism, and common sense.
Kennedy and Nicole Shanahan have been entered on the ballot in three states: California, Utah, and Michigan. They have also collected enough signatures to be included on the ballot in seven other states: Nevada, Iowa, North Carolina, North Carolina, Hawaii, Idaho, and New Hampshire.
Following his autumn switch from the Democratic to the Independent ticket, Kennedy has maintained his relentless pursuit of a national uniform ballot presence, casting himself as a credible rival to Biden and Trump. He has often expressed his disapproval of the likely party choices and cast doubt on their abilities to govern.
Even though Kennedy’s team was trying to collect signatures from every state before their deadlines, experts say that a few states considered to be in the “battleground” might decide the election.
According to recent polls, the environmental attorney is now the leading third-party candidate. Decision Desk HQ polling shows that his support for the opposition has waned in the face of Biden and Trump.
With somewhat more than 42% and almost 41% of the electorate, respectively, Kennedy is behind Trump and Biden as of Monday.
Kennedy, 70, first sought the Democratic nomination for president in April 2023 but changed his mind in October last year, claiming that the two-party system was “corrupt” and “rigged.” He is now running as an independent.
A Quinnipiac survey conducted between March 21 and 25, which included former president Donald Trump, Joe Biden, and Kennedy as presidential candidates, found that 13% of respondents preferred Biden, 39% Trump, and 38% Kennedy.
