As the presidential election looms closer, one former candidate is facing a major issue — RFK Jr. has dropped out of the presidential race and is trying to get off the ballot in swing states, but he is having a rather difficult time.
Over the past year, Kennedy has established himself as a household name and become one of the most successful third-party presidential candidates in recent history. But, he ultimately decided to withdraw from the race Aug. 23 and immediately endorsed Donald Trump. Despite endorsing Trump, Kennedy has been unable to remove his name from the Wisconsin ballot and could potentially still pull votes from the former president in November.
Sept. 16, Dane County Circuit Judge Stephen Ehlke handed down the ruling that RFK Jr. would stay on the ballot in Wisconsin. The deadline to submit the official paperwork to put an individual on the ballot is Aug. 6. Since Kennedy’s team submitted the paper work before this deadline, he was put on ballots and he is listed as a presidential candidate on the ballot in Wisconsin.
After Kennedy appealed his case, election officials in Wisconsin asked the state’s Supreme Court to hear Kennedy’s case Sept. 19 and decide if he would be able to have his name removed from the ballot or not. The court has agreed to get a ruling out as soon as possible and there is a chance he could have his name removed.
Kennedy has been unable to get his name off the ballot in vital swing states such as Wisconsin and Michigan and both will prove pivotal to who wins the presidential election. If his name stays on the ballot in those two states, his supporters could choose to still vote for him and pull votes away from Donald Trump, influencing who wins these vital swing states.
While it’s understandable why Kennedy wants his name taken off of the ballot, the fact of the matter is he made his bed and now he must lay in it. Stephen Ehlke, the Dane county judge who made the ruling, said it best.
“Mr. Kennedy has no one to blame but himself if he didn’t want to be the ballot,” Ehlke said. “It would be wrong to violate state law to make an exception for someone that had fully committed to running for a political position, and then dropped out after the deadline to register the paperwork had passed.”
Now the Wisconsin Supreme Court will hear Kennedy’s case and ultimately decide whether he will remain on the ballot or not.