Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will appear on the ballot in North Carolina in November.
Kennedy’s campaign announced on April 1 that it had secured over 23,000 signatures to ensure his appearance on the ballot. This is the fifth state where the environmental lawyer’s name will be listed as an option for voters.
His supporters in North Carolina have formed the “We the People” party to support the lawyer during the upcoming election. The party submitted a petition to the State Board of Elections in order to be officially recognized and have Kennedy appear on the ballot after meeting the required threshold of 13,865 valid signatures.
“The petition must be signed by at least 200 registered voters from at least three separate congressional districts in the state,” The Carolina Journal reports. “If the party meets the requirements by the end of May, Kennedy can secure his name on the ballot.”
The Kennedy campaign is actively collecting signatures in 16 states and hopes to have its candidate appear on the ballot in all 50 states.
“We have the field teams, volunteers, legal teams, paid circulators, supporters, and strategists ready to get the job done,” said campaign press secretary Stefanie Spear in a press release.
Kennedy is already set to appear on the ballot in Utah, New Hampshire and Nevada. He is also expected to appear on the ballot in Hawaii, where his supporters have also formed a “We the People” party.
North Carolina is expected to be a battleground state during the 2024 election.
“The state has regularly made for a relatively close contest for years, with several presidential, gubernatorial and senatorial candidates winning by no more than a few percentage points,” reports The Hill. "Democrats have found more success historically with the governor’s race, while Republicans have taken federal elections.”
North Carolina has backed the Republican candidate for president in every election since President Jimmy Carter’s campaign in 1976 – with the only expectation being President Barrack Obama’s race in 2008.
“The Biden campaign has said it’s all in, eyeing North Carolina as a key pickup opportunity to expand his election map this November — one of a handful of battleground states that will determine the next president,” notes USA Today.
Prior to announcing his effort as an independent, Kennedy initially launched his campaign as a Democrat.
Kennedy tapped attorney Nicole Shanahan to be his vice president on March 26. Shanahan, the ex-wife of Google co-founder Sergey Brin, previously donated $4 million to a pro-Kenedy Super PAC.
“Kennedy’s campaign is hoping Shanahan’s youth and fluency in the tech world’s anti-establishment rhetoric will help him expand and excite his base of support,” reports CNN.
According to a Quinnipiac poll, Kennedy has double-digit support in multiple hypothetical Election Day scenarios. The poll found that in a race against President Joe Biden, former President Donald Trump, Green Party candidate Jill Stein, and independent Cornel West, Kennedy is likely to secure 15% support.
The poll also found that 29% of participants had a favorable view of Kennedy while 32% had an unfavorable view. The largest portion of those polled – 38% – said they had not heard enough about him.
