Former independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will not be appearing on the ballots in North Carolina and Michigan after appeals courts ruled in two separate decisions on Friday. This comes after election authorities in these swing states had previously decided to keep Kennedy’s name on the ballots and reject his request to withdraw from the race. The rulings are seen as positive news for Republican nominee Donald Trump, as polling averages show that Trump polls better in a two-way race against Democratic nominee Kamala Harris compared to a six-candidate race.
Kennedy had suspended his long-shot campaign and announced his support for Trump on August 23, stating that he intended to remove his name from the ballots in 10 swing states where Trump would benefit from a head-to-head matchup with Harris. However, his plan faced obstacles in some battleground states like North Carolina, Michigan, and Wisconsin, where state election authorities refused to remove his name from the ballots. In Michigan, Kennedy’s original request to withdraw from the race was rejected based on state law, which states that minor party candidates cannot withdraw from the presidential race.
In North Carolina, the State Board of Elections decided on August 29 that it would not be practical to reprint the ballots that had already been printed, especially with the absentee voting process about to begin. However, following the appeals court decision, the process has been halted, and Kennedy’s request to be removed from the ballot has been granted. The state election board is currently reviewing the ruling and has not yet decided whether to appeal. In Michigan, a judge initially ruled in favor of keeping Kennedy’s name on the ballot, but the appeals court reversed that decision on Friday, allowing Kennedy to be taken off the ballot.
The only state that is still rejecting Kennedy’s withdrawal effort is Wisconsin. The Wisconsin Elections Commission had voted to keep Kennedy’s name on the ballot, and Kennedy filed a lawsuit challenging the decision. With Friday’s rulings in North Carolina and Michigan, Kennedy’s name will no longer appear on the ballots in those states, potentially affecting the dynamics of the presidential race in these swing states. It remains to be seen what the final outcome will be in Wisconsin and how these developments could impact the overall race between Trump and Harris.
