Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will remain on the Michigan ballot for the upcoming November election, according to a spokesperson for Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson. The announcement comes after Kennedy suspended his campaign earlier this month and expressed his intention to withdraw his name from battleground states’ ballots.
Kennedy stated, ”In about 10 battleground states where my presence would be a spoiler, I’m going to remove my name. I’ve already started that process and urge voters not to vote for me.” However, due to regulations regarding minor party candidates in Michigan, Kennedy’s name cannot be withdrawn from the ballot.
Michigan is considered a crucial battleground state as it was narrowly won by former President Donald Trump in 2016 with 47.5 percent of the vote compared to Hillary Clinton’s 47.2 percent. In the 2020 election, Trump lost Michigan to President Joe Biden by approximately 150,000 votes or less than 3 percent.
Recent polls indicate that Kennedy has had limited support in Michigan. One survey conducted from July 31 through August 8 revealed that only 5 percent of respondents said they would vote for Kennedy if the election were held on that day. Another poll conducted in late August showed that just 6 percent of respondents would choose Kennedy.
Kennedy has already initiated the process of removing his name from ballots in several swing states such as Arizona and Pennsylvania, as well as traditionally red or blue states like Florida and Texas.
While Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose confirmed receiving written confirmation from Kennedy’s campaign requesting withdrawal and subsequently removing him from Ohio’s ballot, officials in other states have rejected Kennedy’s attempts to gain access to their ballots.
A judge in Georgia recently ruled against allowing Kennedy on the ballot due to issues with his petition; however, Georgia’s secretary of state will make the final decision regarding his eligibility.
In some states like Nevada, it is legally impossible for candidates like Kennedy to remove their names from the ballot after a certain deadline has passed. Wisconsin also decided not to remove him as an option for voters despite requests made by his team.
As November approaches, it remains uncertain how these developments will impact Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s overall candidacy and voter sentiment across different states.