Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has discontinued his independent run for president and has endorsed former President Trump. He cannot remove himself from the ballot in Michigan and Wisconsin, as he remains a candidate for the Natural Law Party in Michigan. The Wisconsin Elections Commission voted to keep Kennedy on the presidential ballot and rejected his request to be removed, along with a Democratic attempt to remove independent candidate Cornel West and Green Party candidate Jill Stein. Trump added Kennedy and former Democrat Tulsi Gabbard to his transition team, showing his efforts to recruit supporters across partisan lines.
In a letter to the Wisconsin Elections Commission, Kennedy asked to have his name removed from the ballot after suspending his campaign and endorsing Trump. However, the commission was deadlocked on the decision, with Republicans pushing to grant Kennedy’s wish and Democrats citing state law that requires candidates to remain on the ballot once they have filed. Despite his decision to withdraw from battleground states, Kennedy stated that he would continue his campaign in other states where his candidacy would not be a spoiler.
Democratic elections commission member Mark Thomsen accused Trump and Kennedy of playing games with the election by trying to remove Kennedy from the ballot.
Despite opposition from Democrats on the commission, it was decided that Kennedy, West, and Claudia De la Cruz of the Socialism and Liberation Party would remain on the ballot as independents. In total, eight presidential candidates, including Democrat Kamala Harris, Republican Donald Trump, and others, were approved for the Wisconsin ballot. This decision could play a crucial role in the state’s election outcome, as recent presidential elections in Wisconsin have been decided by narrow margins.
It was noted that Wisconsin state law requires candidates to remain on the ballot once they have filed unless they die, which led to the decision to keep Kennedy and the other candidates on the ballot. The chair of the commission emphasized that the law was clear and that they did not have the discretion to remove candidates, despite their personal feelings on the matter. Ultimately, the commission approved a total of eight presidential candidates for the ballot, including Kennedy, West, and De la Cruz, among others. The presence of independent and third-party candidates on the ballot could have a significant impact on the outcome of the election in a state where previous elections have been decided by a small number of votes.
Kennedy’s decision to endorse Trump after suspending his campaign has caused controversy within the Democratic party and the Kennedy family. Despite his attempts to remove his name from the ballot in battleground states to avoid being a spoiler, his name will remain on the ballots in Michigan and Wisconsin. The decision by the Wisconsin Elections Commission to keep Kennedy and other independent candidates on the ballot reflects the state law that requires candidates to stay on the ballot once they have filed. The presence of multiple candidates on the ballot in Wisconsin could be a determining factor in the upcoming election, as the state has a history of close election outcomes.
