RFK Expands Ballot Access

Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. received ballot access in two more states, bringing increasing attention to the activist’s bid for the White House. Kennedy, also known by his initials RFK, is currently polling third behind both former President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden in recent surveys.

The independent candidate will now appear on the Arizona and Georgia state ballots in November. Kennedy was assisted by the American Values 24 Political Action Committee (PAC).

The PAC’s co-founder Tony Lyons said that the current “grassroots energy and momentum give us more confidence than ever in our ability to knock out the remaining states on our list of states quickly.”

Kennedy is currently on five state ballots, also including Utah, New Hampshire and Hawaii.

However, Kennedy’s ballot access is being challenged by the Democratic National Committee (DNC) which issued a complaint to the Federal Election Commission (FEC) regarding how Kennedy’s campaign and the PAC were working to get him ballot access.

Kennedy originally sought the Democratic nomination for president against Biden. Kennedy is the son of former Sen. Robert F. Kennedy (D-NY) and the nephew of former President John F. Kennedy. However, RFK stated that he would launch an independent bid, citing what he described as unfair actions by the Democratic Party.

When polls include Kennedy with other candidates, he appears to take support from both of the major parties. However, most state and national polls have shown that RFK’s candidacy mostly helps Trump.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has the highest share of the vote for a non-major party presidential candidate since Ross Perot’s bid in 1996. 

A state-by-state analysis of how this changes the vote shares of Joe Biden and Donald Trump: https://t.co/iBfeNchd5d pic.twitter.com/a3L0ZbZEUJ

— Decision Desk HQ (@DecisionDeskHQ) February 28, 2024

In the RealClearPolitics average of polls, Trump currently leads Biden by slightly more than 2% in a head-to-head matchup. However, when Kennedy is included in the ballot question, Trump’s lead expands.

In the four most recent polls that matched up Kennedy against Biden and Trump, Kennedy received an average of 15% of the vote. This includes a low of 8% according to a January Reuters/Ipsos poll and a high of 18% in the most recent Harvard-Harris poll taken earlier this month.

Trump also expands his lead when Kennedy is included, more than doubling his margin over Biden, leading him by 4.3%.