Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Monday collected enough signatures to qualify for the ballot in Texas, achieving one of his primary campaign goals heading into November. said.
President Kennedy and his running mate, Nicole Shanahan, submitted 245,572 signatures to the Texas Secretary of State’s office on Monday. more than twice His campaign says this is the number needed to access the Lone Star State’s presidential ballot.
“It’s official. Kennedy-Shanahan is on the Texas ballot! By collecting nearly 250,000 signatures in just two months, the campaign shows it can overcome the most difficult ballot access requirements in the country.” “Kennedy campaign spokeswoman Stephanie Speer wrote on Monday. Social platform.
The Texas Secretary of State’s Office acknowledged receiving the petition, but could not confirm the number of signatures listed.
Texas has the second-highest number of electoral votes, with 40, and is the 14th state so far where an independent candidate has claimed the right to vote. The list also includes California, which received the most electoral votes in the nation with 54 votes.
Kennedy will be the first independent presidential candidate to have access to the Texas ballot since Pat Buchanan ran for the Oval Office in 2000, the Kennedy campaign said.
Kennedy, who switched from being a Democrat to an independent last fall, is vying for access to all 50 states, but political strategists predict he may only need a few key states to create a “spoiler” effect. are doing.
Speer told The Hill last week that the Kennedy campaign aims to “take votes away from the disenfranchised votes of President Biden and President Trump.”
According to Decision Desk HQ/The Hill’s polling index, RFK Jr. currently has about 8% of the national vote, compared to just over 41% for Trump and about 40% for Biden.
In addition to Texas and California, the environmental lawyer also voted in Delaware, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Michigan, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, and Utah. said that he had done so. Of the 14 states, Decision Desk headquarters confirmed that candidates have access to Michigan, Oklahoma, and Utah.
Updated at 3:34 p.m.
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