RFK Jr. Ballot Access & CNN Debate Update

 

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Courtesy of the campaign.

Independent Presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced on Monday that the We the People party will nominate him in Mississippi, and Tuesday afternoon came the news that his campaign sumbitted the required signatures to make the ballot in Nebraska.

The ticket, in which Kennedy is running with Nicole Shanahan as his Vice Presidential nominee, has now officially made the ballot in eight states, with Mississippi joining with Utah, Michigan, California, Delaware, Oklahoma, Hawaii, Texas, and South Carolina.

Nebraska is the 14th state that the Kennedy-Shanahan ticket has now collected enough signatures for ballot access, along with New York, New Jersey, Florida, Minnesota, New Hampshire, Nevada, North Carolina, Idaho, Nebraska, Iowa, Ohio, Tennessee and Alaska.

These announcements means that the Kennedy-Shanahan campaign has collected the signatures needed for ballot access in 22 states totaling 310 electoral votes - 58 percent of the 538 total electoral votes nationwide. 

MISSISSIPPI: The We The People party is officially on the ballot in Mississippi, and it will nominate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for president and Nicole Shanahan for vice president later this month.

We The People Mississippi Chair Melisha Dooley, said in a statement, “We look forward to nominating Kennedy and helping get him elected him as the next President of the United States. We need a leader who will protect what matters most — our children. He’s the breath of fresh air that Mississippi desperately needs.” 

This past January, Kennedy supporters filed the necessary paperwork to form the new political party in Mississippi.

Mississippi State Director Leon Giafaglione, said, “I’m a patriotic soul who has grown frustrated with the political system and our limited options for president. This is the first election year I considered not voting, but then I discovered Mr. Kennedy and firmly believe he’s our last chance to save this great country and regain the world’s respect.”

NEBRASKA: On Tuesday, the Kennedy campaign announced that it submitted the required signatures to gain ballot access in Nebraska. The campaign turned in 5,023 signatures, which is more than two times the required amount. 

Midwest Regional Director Lane Koch, "Today is a historic day as we submit paperwork to get Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on the ballot in the Cornhusker State. It’s been a privilege to work with our dedicated volunteers to ensure voters have an independent option at the ballot box this November.”

CNN DEBATE ELIGIBILITY BATTLE CONTINUES: Kennedy's campaign also gave an update on their battle to have him on the debate stage on June 27 on CNN with Presidents Biden and Trump.

Following the Federal Election Commission (FEC)'s statement last week that made it clear CNN will be violating federal law if Kennedy is not on the debate stage, the Kennedy campaign, as they termed it, "requested that if the FEC was going to dismiss its complaint alleging CNN, and Presidents Biden and Trump violated federal campaign finance laws, the FEC do so immediately and no later than last Friday, June 14. Until the complaint is dismissed or 120 days have passed since the complaint was filed, Kennedy cannot bring a lawsuit."

The statement from the campaign continued: "The FEC responded it would not dismiss the complaint as requested. One implication is that the FEC believes the complaint has merit, as indicated by its public statement that there is no such thing as a “presumptive nominee” for the purposes of exempting the debate from being an illegal campaign contribution from CNN to Biden and Trump’s campaigns. CNN, Biden, and Trump’s responses to the complaint are due to the FEC this week."

To read our coverage on the FEC's statement from last week, please click here.