Michigan judge rules RFK Jr. must remain on ballot

A judge in Michigan ruled Tuesday that independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. must stay on the state’s presidential ballot.

Kennedy announced earlier this month he would be withdrawing from the race and threw his support behind former President Trump. He said he was trying to take his name off ballots in swing states where, if he stayed on the ticket, he could draw votes away from the former president. He will remain on blue and red state ballots.

Michigan and Wisconsin, key Midwest purple states, rejected Kennedy’s attempt to remove his name from the ballot, citing their state laws for a candidate or nominee withdrawing.

In North Carolina, the state’s board of elections said it was too late for Kennedy to withdraw since ballots had already begun being printed. Kennedy filed a lawsuit in an attempt to remove his name.

Kennedy filed a similar lawsuit in Michigan’s Court of Claims against Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson (D) after his attempt to be removed from the ballot was rejected.

A judge Tuesday determined Kennedy will appear on Michigan’s ballot this November, The Associated Press reported.

While Kennedy’s candidacy may not dramatically change the 2024 presidential race, his decision to withdraw does have the potential to move the needle in states where the margin is already so slim between Trump and Vice President Harris, including in Michigan.

The Hill/Decision Desk HQ election tracker currently places Harris slightly ahead of Trump in Michigan.

Kennedy said earlier Tuesday on Fox News that he wants to remove his name from swing state ballots so he won’t “be a spoiler or cause harm” to Trump.

He successfully was able to be removed from ballots in Arizona, Florida, Nevada, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Texas.

The rejected efforts, however, may pose a danger for Trump.