Trouble for Donald Trump in battleground states? Robert F. Kennedy Jr's court verdict holds key

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has filed a lawsuit against the State Board of Elections in North Carolina seeking to omit his name from the state's ballot ahead of November.

Earlier, the elections board rejected Kennedy’s plea to remove his name ballots citing the move would cost hundreds of dollars to reprint the ballots.

The lawsuit filed in Wake County Superior Court Friday says the board's denial of his request to remove his name as a third-party presidential candidate violated state election law and his right to free speech, according to The News & Observer and WRAL.


“With November election looming and ballot deadlines fast-approaching, Kennedy has no choice but to turn to this Court for immediate relief,” the lawsuit states.

Since he suspended his campaign and endorsed former President Donald Trump in August, Kennedy has sought to withdraw his name in states where the race could be close, such as North Carolina.

At the same time, Kennedy made an effort to remain on the ballot in states like New York where his presence is unlikely to make a difference in the battle between Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris.

Unless the court intervenes, Kennedy’s name will appear on the North Carolina ballot in November.

Wisconsin Elections Commission voted Tuesday to keep Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on the presidential ballot, despite his request to be removed, and also rejected a Democratic attempt to oust independent candidate Cornel West.

A move by Democratic elections commissioners to keep Green Party candidate Jill Stein off the ballot also failed. The vote to approve her came the day after the Wisconsin Supreme Court rejected a lawsuit by Democrats to remove Stein from the ballot.

Ultimately, the commission approved eight presidential candidates for the ballot in Wisconsin: Democrat Kamala Harris; Republican Donald Trump; Randall Terry of the Constitution Party; Chase Oliver of the Libertarian Party; Claudia De la Cruz of the Socialism and Liberation Party; and Kennedy, West and Stein.

The commission did oust one presidential candidate — independent Shiva Ayyadurai — an anti-vaccine activist who was born in India to parents who weren’t United States citizens. The U.S. Constitution requires presidential candidates to be natural born U.S. citizens.

FAQs

Q1. Is Robert F. Kennedy Jr. contesting in US election 2024?
A1. Since he suspended his campaign and endorsed former President Donald Trump in August, Robert F. Kennedy Jr has sought to withdraw his name in states where the race could be close, such as North Carolina. At the same time, Kennedy made an effort to remain on the ballot in states like New York where his presence is unlikely to make a difference in the battle between Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris.

Q2. Why did North Carolina State Board reject Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s request?
A2. The elections board rejected Kennedy’s plea to remove his name ballots citing the move would cost hundreds of dollars to reprint the ballots.