Robert F. Kennedy Jr. May Still Be on the Ballot in 23 States

Despite independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. dropping out of the race and endorsing former President Donald Trump, his name could still appear on the ballot in more than 20 states in November.

Kennedy, arguably known as well for his promotion of anti-vaccine conspiracy theories as for his famous family name, said during a news conference in Arizona on Friday that he had made the “heart-wrenching decision” to “suspend” his campaign and “support President Trump” because he believes that the ex-president will help end a “chronic disease epidemic” among children.

Before withdrawing from the race, Kennedy’s name was set to appear on the ballot in at least 23 states. He had already withdrawn his name from Arizona’s ballot by Friday, while in New York, a judge previously removed his name from the ballot due to a dispute over his listed residence.

In the other 25 states, the Kennedy campaign launched petitions to put his name on the ballot. While the campaign did not acquire enough signatures to appear on the ballot in Kentucky, Mississippi, Rhode Island and Wyoming, petitions were pending in 21 other states, according to CBS News.

On Friday, Kennedy said that he would be attempting to remove his name or withdraw from the ballot “in about 10 battleground states” where he could be a “spoiler” candidate and worsen Trump’s chances of winning, while also urging supporters to vote for him in red and blue states because he believes he could still become president “in a contingent election.”

Kennedy’s name was set to appear on the ballot in the following 23 states just before suspending his campaign:

• Alaska
• California
• Colorado
• Delaware
• Hawaii
• Indiana
• Iowa
• Louisiana
• Maine
• Michigan
• Minnesota
• Nebraska
• New Mexico
• North Carolina
• Oklahoma
• Oregon
• South Carolina
• Tennessee
• Texas
• Utah
• Vermont
• Washington
• West Virginia

It was unclear which 10 battleground states Kennedy was referring to when he mentioned withdrawing his name from ballots. Of the states where his name was confirmed to appear, only Michigan and North Carolina are considered by most to be swing states this year.

A spokesperson for Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson said that Kennedy’s name would remain on the state’s ballots in November due to his status as a “minor party” candidate, according to a post from ABC News reporter Will McDuffie on X, formerly Twitter.

Newsweek reached out for comment to the Kennedy campaign via email on Friday.

Kennedy filed a petition earlier on Friday to remove his name from a potential ballot appearance in Pennsylvania, where his candidacy was in doubt due to a court battle. He may also attempt to withdraw active petitions in Georgia, Pennsylvania, Nevada and Wisconsin.

Deadlines to withdraw candidacy routinely have already passed in some states, including in Pennsylvania, although withdrawals could likely still be achieved by court order.

It is unclear where Kennedy’s name may have already been printed on ballots. Early voting is more than a month away in most of the states where his name is confirmed to appear, although North Carolina begins sending absentee ballots to voters who requested them on September 6.

CBS News contributor David Becker said in a series of posts to X on Friday that “ballots are already being printed” in some states, including North Carolina.

Five of Kennedy’s siblings, who are Democrats like their father—former Senator Robert F. Kennedy, and uncle, former President John F. Kennedy—released a statement on Friday denouncing their brother’s decision to endorse Trump.

“We want an America filled with hope and bound together by a shared vision of a brighter future, a future defined by individual freedom, economic promise and national pride,” RFK Jr.’s siblings said, according to CNN’s Manu Raju. “We believe in Harris and Walz.”

“Our brother Bobby’s decision to endorse Trump today is a betrayal of the values that our father and family hold most dear,” they added. “It is a sad ending to a sad story.”