Former independent 2024 presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. reportedly won appeals Friday to be removed from the ballots in North Carolina and Michigan.
The North Carolina Court of Appeals overturned a lower court ruling that denied his request, CBS 17 Reported.
The order, obtained by CBS 17, states that the North Carolina State Board of Elections is prohibited from distributing ballots that list Kennedy as a presidential candidate. Kennedy's appeal was allowed by Wake County Superior Court Judge Rebecca Holt. Verdict Kennedy's name must remain on the state's ballot.
Big news: The North Carolina Court of Appeals has ruled that RFK Jr.'s name must be removed from the ballot.
“State Election Commission [must] “Distribute ballots without listing the name of petitioner Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., as a candidate for President of the United States.” pic.twitter.com/RLHiwgiVNh
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) September 6, 2024
Kennedy had 24 hours to appeal Holt's decision on Thursday, as the first batch of absentee ballots was scheduled to be mailed to North Carolina residents starting Friday, CBS 17 reported. Kennedy's appeal likely prompted counties to not immediately mail out ballots on Friday morning, the outlet reported. North Carolina is expected to be the first state to send ballots to voters.
Kennedy Declared When he announced his suspension of his campaign on August 23 and committed himself to endorsing 2024 Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, Trump indicated his intention to remove his name from the ballot in “approximately 10 battleground states.”
The North Carolina State Board of Elections conducted a partisan vote on August 29, and the Democratic Party rejected Kennedy and the Populist Party's request to expel him, according to CBS 17. Kennedy, who was previously listed as a member of the party on North Carolina ballots, filed suit the following day, according to the outlet.
Polling data shows President Trump leading Vice President Kamala Harris in North Carolina by 0.7 percentage points. Real Clear Politics average.
Kennedy, who initially struggled to get ballots as an independent candidate, also faced difficulties trying to remove his name from the ballot in other battleground states, including Michigan and Wisconsin. (RELATED: RFK Jr., Tucker Carlson Accuse Biden-Harris Administration of “Pressing” Social Media to “Censor”)
Sheri Hardmon, a senior spokesperson for Michigan's Democratic Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, previously told The Daily Caller that Kennedy cannot be removed from the state's ballot. MC168.42 and MCL168.686aThe second law states that minor party candidates who have been properly nominated and certified by their respective political parties cannot withdraw from the ballot, and the Secretary of State's office argued that this also applied to Kennedy, the Natural Law Party candidate.
The Michigan Court of Appeals ruled Friday that Kennedy's name can be removed from the state's ballot. According to The Detroit Free Press reported that a three-judge panel declared that Benson's office had no basis for refusing to allow Kennedy to withdraw his nomination, saying the court agreed with Kennedy's argument that presidential candidates are not subject to the laws cited by Benson's office.
Harris leads Trump Michigan increased by 1.1%, Wisconsin It rose 1.4 percentage points, according to the RealClearPolitics polling average.
