Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s name will remain on Michigan's election ballot, judge rules
(FOX 2) - Despite requests to remove his name from the upcoming general election ballot, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will appear on the sheets that Michigan voters fill out in November.
A decision from a court of appeals judge to deny Kennedy's request came soon after he asked for relief from the Michigan Secretary of State to have his name removed. In a filing from Judge Christopher P. Yates, he wrote "elections are not just games, and the Secretary of State is not obligated to honor the whims of candidates for public office."
The decision is a blow to the former candidate's hope to stay off the ballot in hopes of boosting Republican nominee Donald Trump, who Kennedy endorsed shortly after dropping out of the presidential race.
His position in the general election muddied the waters for both Trump and Democratic nominee Kamala Harris, who would have needed to contend with a third party candidate's support in swing states where the margins for victory are thin.
In efforts to take his name off the ballot in Michigan, North Carolina, and other states was an attempt to prevent siphoning support from Trump - who has since added Kennedy to his presidential transition team.
But remaining on the ballot means those who supported Kennedy during his bid as the Natural Law Party's candidate may cast a ballot for him, rather than who he endorsed.
State law says candidates who have accepted a party's nomination "shall not be permitted to withdraw" from the race.
"…he is the nominee of a party, which put forward his name for the ballot after he accepted that party's nomination," Yates wrote in Tuesday's opinion. "In this context, the directive in (state law) makes perfect sense. Thus, the Court must deny relief to plaintiff…"
RFK's polling in Michigan
Internal numbers from Trump's pollster Tony Fabrizio showed the Republican winning every battleground state if Kennedy were not in the race.
A campaign memo that circulated online showed swings in favor of Trump in each state, including in Michigan, which showed a 2 point bump toward the GOP's nominee after Kennedy dropping out.
Other polling aggregators show less of an effect on the race.