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Kennedy throws in the towel in the presidential race in important states. (Archive photo) © Stefan Jeremiah/AP/dpa
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is withdrawing from the US presidential race in the swing states. His name could still be on the ballot in some states.
Washington, DC – Although Robert F. Kennedy has dropped out of the race, his name could still appear on the ballot in more than 20 states. Before his withdrawal, his name was scheduled to appear on the ballot in at least 23 states. In Arizona, he had already officially withdrawn his name from the ballot on Friday. In New York, however, a judge removed the name from the ballot due to a residency dispute.
Kennedy supports Trump at campaign rally ahead of US election
Kennedy appeared for the first time a few days ago at a campaign event for Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump. “We were on somewhat opposite sides,” Trump said to his guest on stage in the state of Arizona. Kennedy had approached him a few times during the election campaign, which he did not like. “But he is a phenomenal person, a phenomenal man.”
Donald Trump welcomes Robert F. Kennedy with open arms during the election campaign. © Ross D. Franklin/AP
A few hours earlier, Kennedy had announced that he would withdraw from the election campaign in the particularly contested “swing states” and would support Trump from now on – this should help the Republican in the race against the Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris. Kennedy told cheering Trump supporters that he had not spoken to the 78-year-old “about the things that divide us, because we do not agree on everything, but about the values and issues that unite us.” “I think he will be a good influence,” Trump said. He and Kennedy would “fight together to defeat the corrupt political establishment and regain control of this country.”
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The nephew of the murdered former President John F. Kennedy justified his decision primarily by saying he was disillusioned with the Democrats. “In the name of saving democracy, the Democratic Party has set out to dismantle it,” Kennedy claimed. He accused the party of presidential candidate Kamala Harris, among other things, of trying to influence the election campaign using undemocratic means and to his and Trump’s detriment.
US election 2024: Kennedy withdraws from swing states
Newsweek reported that Kennedy said he planned to withdraw his name in about ten so-called swing states to prevent him from damaging Trump’s chances of winning as a “spoiler candidate.” It remains unclear which ten swing states Robert F. Kennedy was referring to when he announced that he wanted to withdraw his name from the ballot. Of the states in which his name is confirmed, only Michigan and North Carolina are considered contested swing states this year.
A spokesman for Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson said Kennedy’s name will remain on the ballot in November because of his candidacy for a “minor party,” as ABC-NewsReporter Will McDuffie at X reported. Kennedy had already filed a petition on Friday to remove his name from the ballot in Pennsylvania, where his candidacy is currently legally contested. He may also seek to withdraw ongoing petitions in Georgia, Nevada and Wisconsin.
