Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has declared that he has submitted the necessary signatures to place him on Minnesota’s ballot, thereby surpassing the threshold needed for 270 electoral votes. This brings him closer to qualifying for June’s presidential debate.
A press release from the campaign confirmed Kennedy filed 3,300 signatures in Minnesota. With this, Kennedy now asserts ballot access in 19 states, totaling 278 electoral votes. Verification of his submissions is still pending in half of these states.
The next milestone for Kennedy to participate in the June 27 debate is achieving 15% in four qualifying national polls.
CNN, which is hosting the first presidential debate, has outlined two requirements candidates must satisfy to participate.
“Candidates must also appear on a sufficient number of state ballots to reach the 270 electoral vote threshold to win the presidency and receive at least 15% in four separate national polls of registered or likely voters that meet CNN’s standards for reporting,” the network explained.
Kennedy is currently on the ballot in nine states: Utah, Michigan, California, Delaware, Oklahoma, Hawaii, Texas, South Carolina, and Florida.
The campaign also claims it has secured the required signatures for ballot access in 10 additional states: New Hampshire, Nevada, North Carolina, Idaho, Nebraska, Iowa, Ohio, New Jersey, New York, and Minnesota.
Kennedy’s achievement in Minnesota comes amid his efforts to gain ballot access in Nevada, and his campaign faces challenges to his ballot petition in New York. He is suing Nevada’s secretary of state over the interpretation of state laws related to ballot access. In New York, a super PAC supporting President Joe Biden alleges that Kennedy’s campaign provided false information on its ballot petition.
Truth Voices has contacted the Kennedy campaign for comment.
