Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy will remain on the North Carolina ballot despite his recent decision to withdraw from battleground state ballots in favor of former President Trump, according to the North Carolina State Board of Elections.
“The State Election Board on Thursday denied a request to remove Populist Party candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. from the general election ballot because it would be impractical to reprint already printed ballots to meet state law's deadline for opening up absentee voting,” the state election board said. press release Read.
“The state board scheduled an emergency meeting for Thursday to consider the request,” the board said in a statement. “A majority of the board determined that it is too late to change course and prepare and print new ballots statewide.”
The Election Commission also Featured Documents They called on Kennedy's party to remove him and his running mate, Nicole Shanahan, from the Tar Heel State's nomination list.
The news came after independent candidate Kennedy announced he was suspending his campaign in battleground states that could decide the election against Trump. Kennedy said he would continue to campaign in most Republican and Democratic states.
Kennedy was welcomed by Trump at a rally in Arizona with the former president earlier this month, and also announced earlier this week that he had been asked to join the Republican candidate's transition team.
North Carolina is not the first state to refuse to remove Kennedy from the ballot: Michigan and Wisconsin, key battleground states in the 2024 presidential election, also rejected the request.
“Because minor party candidates cannot withdraw, Ms. Benson's name will remain on the ballot in November's election,” Sheri Hardmon, a senior spokesperson for Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, said in a statement to Axios on Tuesday.
The Hill has reached out to the North Carolina Populist Party and the Kennedy campaign for comment.
