Presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is confident that he will appear on the ballot in all 50 states for the 2024 presidential election.
“One hundred percent — we will be on the ballot in all 50 states and the District of Columbia,” confirmed Kennedy campaign press secretary Stefanie Spears in a statement to the Truth Voices.
Gaining ballot access is a significant challenge for Kennedy’s ambitious campaign, as he faces the well-established Republican and Democratic parties. With the recently announced presidential debates, there is intensified pressure to secure ballot positions as early as possible. CNN reports that only candidates who achieve at least 15% in four national polls or demonstrate the capability to obtain 270 electoral votes will qualify for the debates. The Kennedy campaign so far claims access to 15 ballots, with Decision Desk HQ confirming access in Michigan, Oklahoma, and Utah, together amounting to 28 electoral votes.
The campaign has also successfully petitioned for access in Ohio, New Hampshire, Nevada, North Carolina, California, Iowa, Nebraska, Idaho, Delaware, Hawaii, Texas, and most recently, New Jersey. Collectively, these states total 201 electoral votes.
The seemingly random selection of states includes both large and small states and those leaning Republican or Democratic. A Kennedy campaign official explained to the Truth Voices that the ballot access drive is timed based on when each state allows access.
“To us, they’re not eclectic,” the official explained. “Ballot access varies by state; initially, almost every state is open, but each has different rules. We categorized states into four different tiers for our strategy.
“Tier one allowed collecting signatures without needing electors or a VP pick. These were nine states, making up 108 Electoral College votes. Tier two required electors but not a VP, as we hadn’t announced our vice presidential pick early on.
“Our strategy was based on the timing of when signatures could be collected and finalized,” the official added. “We also prioritized states based on how long their access window was open and their deadlines.”
The official noted that New York and Texas are the toughest states for ballot access due to their short application windows. New York offers only a six-week window, prompting the campaign to focus many resources on it before the window closes on Tuesday.
The ballot access campaign is separate from the actual presidential campaign efforts, so the overall campaign strategy remains unchanged, the official said.
The District of Columbia, Wisconsin, Louisiana, and Rhode Island have not yet opened their ballot access windows.
Although most analysts do not see Kennedy as a viable contender for the White House, his appeal as a “cross-cutting candidate” suggests he could impact both Biden and Trump. According to the latest RealClearPolitics average, RFK Jr. is polling at 10.5% nationally, with the two major party candidates separated by 2.4 percentage points.
