Here are the states where Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has made the ballot

May 11, 2024

Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s campaign says he has qualified for just over a fifth of his 50 targeted states by November.

With less than six months until Election Day, Kennedy successfully campaigned in battleground states such as Michigan, Ohio, New Hampshire, Nevada, and North Carolina, and garnered enough support for larger targets such as California.

Of the 13 states to which President Kennedy has claimed access to the ballot, Decision Desk headquarters has granted three of them: Michigan, Oklahoma, and Utah. Access The Hill/DDHQ’s voting access tracker here.

President Kennedy has set a goal of competing everywhere, predicting he will add new states every week, but Democrats and Republicans say environmental lawyers will probably only need a few to force a “spoil” result. I believe that this is the only important place.

The Kennedy campaign is “working to separate votes from disenfranchised voters for both President Biden and President Trump,” campaign spokeswoman Stephanie Speer told The Hill about its voting access strategy.

Here are the states where President Kennedy said he has voted so far:

California

Number of electoral votes: 54

California is not in danger of turning red, but Kennedy’s presence on the ballot could still hurt Biden on his way to the White House. California has more contested electors than any other and could appeal to voters who see Kennedy as an attractive third choice. His running mate, Nicole Shanahan, a tech lawyer from Oakland and Silicon Valley, further credits Kennedy and Shanahan.

Mr. Kennedy qualified to vote through the Independence Party, and the Secretary of State must certify his name by the end of August.

Delaware

Number of electoral votes: 3

Hawaii

Number of electoral votes: 4

idaho

Number of electoral votes: 4

iowa

Number of electoral votes: 6

Kennedy wants to make his mark in the Hawkeye State, despite his usual focus on it. He appeared in West Des Moines last month, rallying supporters through a convention-style event for candidates who registered as independents. Unique to Iowa, the convention is a way to bypass the signature-gathering process that requires various counties to send representatives to support candidates. Kennedy’s campaign pointed out that the number of participating countries exceeded the 25-nation threshold during the convention, making it possible for Kennedy to be registered as a candidate.

michigan

Number of electoral votes: 15

Michigan is perhaps the most important of Kennedy’s current large number of ballots. What Spear calls a “mobile middle ground” can be found throughout the state. Based on recent results, a faction that cannot be ignored voted in protest in the recent Democratic primaries. Biden lost two delegates to the roughly 100,000 primary voters who chose the “no commitment” option in February. Anxious Michigan voters mean that Kennedy is speaking to dissatisfied Biden voters and people who are fed up with the president’s handling of the Israel-Hamas war but also don’t want a Trump presidency. This means that there is a possibility that negotiations will move forward.

nebraska

Number of electoral votes: 5

Abortion is expected to be a major issue at the polls in Nebraska. The state passed a new ledger law that imposes significant restrictions on abortion and bans abortions after 12 weeks. Democrats are trying to use abortion as a wedge issue not only against Republicans, who advocate stricter pro-life policies, but also against Kennedy, who claims to side with Republicans on women’s health issues. With support from national Democrats, pro-choice operatives are likely to draw contrasts between the Democratic Party’s position under the Biden administration and the Kennedy administration’s position in the states before voters.

“Over the last year, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has supported abortion bans and other restrictions on reproductive health,” said Democratic strategist Joel Payne, chief communications officer for the group MoveOn. “Just last week, his own vice presidential candidate reaffirmed his anti-abortion views. We won’t let him get out of this situation.”

nevada

Number of electoral votes: 6

Both Democrats and Republicans are working to attract Latino voters, pointing to their importance in key battleground states like Nevada. Hispanics in the Silver State are not particularly monolithic, voting for both major parties and absenting themselves from elections en masse, making their votes more elusive and more coveted. Kennedy’s campaign launched a Latino aid program in April, including Nevada. Both Democrats and Kennedy’s allies recognize that Biden’s targeting of Latinos could be detrimental to him. Biden sees support among a diverse voting base divided over border policy.

new hampshire

Number of electoral votes: 4

Although the Granite State does not have the largest electoral share of any state, it could be one of Kennedy’s better paths to success. The “live free or die” approach suits President Kennedy’s anti-establishment campaign, and the state has faced traditional opponents such as Bernie Sanders and Trump in the 2016 Democratic and Republican primaries. He is known for giving preferential treatment to outsiders like the former president. New Hampshire was one of the first states on the ballot for President Kennedy, even before he had a running mate.

north carolina

Number of electoral votes: 16

North Carolina is considered one of this year’s newest battleground states. Democrats hope they can flip some districts and allow Biden to add them to his 270 maps. Trump’s campaign hopes to keep this victory on its side after only narrowly winning in 2020. As in other purple battleground states, Kennedy raises further questions for both major party candidates in this race. He is officially on the ballot through his We the People party as a way to circumvent strict signature requirements for independents.

Ohio

Number of electoral votes: 17

The Kennedy campaign also expects Ohio to attract a significant number of “mobile” voters. Spear said that includes independents, the largest voting group, as well as “people who have never voted, people who have lost interest in the political system, and young people who are looking for a leader who will restore the American dream.” It is also included.

Ohio is largely Republican, and polls still favor Trump over Biden, but Kennedy has consistently won double-digit support in the three-way race in the state, leading both sides. He has become an unpredictable element in the rival’s calculations. Mr. Kennedy’s position in the fall could make Mr. Trump’s path to victory in Ohio more difficult than expected.