RFK Jr. to Defend Pennsylvania Ballot Bid

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was set to appear in court Tuesday to defend his bid to secure a spot on Pennsylvania’s presidential ballot.

Democratic Party-aligned challengers say Kennedy’s candidacy paperwork states a false home address and contains the wrong names of people who supposedly attested that they gathered the signatures of thousands of voters.

Kennedy is facing legal challenges in other states over his spot on the presidential ballot.

Kennedy’s campaign has dismissed the Pennsylvania lawsuit as “frivolous,” standing firm against what they see as an attempt to undermine his candidacy.

Pennsylvania is a key battleground in the 2024 election, and Kennedy’s presence on the ballot could have significant implications for both major parties.

In a state where small margins decided the outcomes in both 2016 and 2020, Kennedy is seen as a potential spoiler for Democrats and Republicans in November with the ability to siphon votes from both major party candidates.

Pennsylvania’s 19 electoral votes are highly coveted, with both Harris and Trump making recent visits to the state in an effort to shore up support.

“They say that if you win Pennsylvania, you’re going to win the whole thing,” Trump told a crowd in Wilkes-Barre on Saturday.

The Democrats have been particularly aggressive in challenging Kennedy.

Trump, on the other hand, has oscillated between criticizing Kennedy as too liberal and hinting at an interest in his endorsement.

Kennedy is currently battling challenges in several other states, including Georgia.

A group of Democrats told a judge in Georgia that Kennedy uses a “sham” address for his residence in New York and argued that he should not be allowed on the presidential voting ballots in the state of Georgia later this year.

Kennedy was blocked from appearing on the New York presidential ballot last week, after a state Supreme Court justice ruled that he had falsely claimed to be a New York resident on petition forms.

Kennedy’s campaign is appealing that decision.

Last week Kennedy secured a key legal victory in North Carolina, with a state judge ruling that he can remain on the presidential ballot.

Wake County Superior Court Judge Keith Gregory dismissed a request by the North Carolina Democratic Party to block the printing of Kennedy’s name, as well as those of other candidates from the recently certified “We the People” party.

Despite these challenges, Kennedy’s campaign claims it has gathered enough signatures to secure ballot access in all 50 states and has officially qualified in 22, including key battleground states like Michigan and North Carolina.

In Pennsylvania, other third-party candidates like the Green Party’s Jill Stein and the Libertarian Party’s Chase Oliver have submitted petitions to appear on the ballot without facing challenges.

However, two other court cases remain active: a Democratic-aligned challenge against the Party for Socialism and Liberation’s presidential candidate Claudia De la Cruz, and a Republican-aligned challenge against the Constitution Party’s candidate James Clymer.