Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has been blocked from removing his name from the ballot in the swing state of Michigan, potentially complicating the race between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump. This development comes as Michigan’s Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson is also working to prevent leftist candidate Cornell West from appearing on the ballot.
According to Axios, Kennedy’s request to withdraw his candidacy was denied. A spokesperson for Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson explained, “Minor party candidates cannot withdraw, so his name will remain on the ballot in the November election.” Kennedy had been nominated earlier by the Natural Law Party, and because the party’s primary has passed, it is now too late to select new electors.
The decision to keep Kennedy on the ballot could affect Trump’s chances in the state, as some voters who might otherwise support Trump could be drawn to Kennedy. Meanwhile, Benson is appealing a court ruling that allows Cornell West, a left-wing third-party candidate, to stay on the ballot. Removing West could benefit Vice President Kamala Harris by consolidating left-leaning votes.
Trump recently named Kennedy and Tulsi Gabbard, another former Democrat, to his presidential transition team. Kennedy warned that remaining on the ballot in battleground states could inadvertently aid the Democrats, a party with which he says he has deep disagreements. This legal barrier may hinder efforts to convince Kennedy’s supporters to switch their allegiance to Trump if Kennedy stays on the ballot through November.
In June, the Democratic Party filed lawsuits to remove Kennedy from several swing state ballots. Kennedy criticized these efforts in a speech supporting Trump, saying, “The DNC dragged us into court, state after state, attempting to erase their work and to subvert the will of the voters who signed those petitions. It deployed DNC-aligned judges to throw me and other candidates off the ballot and to throw President Trump in jail.” Now, with Kennedy unable to withdraw from the Michigan ballot, Democrats may find it advantageous to keep him there in swing states.