According to a representative from Arizona, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has filed documents requesting to be taken off his presidential campaign The day before he would deliver a speech on his faltering campaign.
Arizona The New York Times reported that the Secretary of State’s office held a meeting Thursday night.
Aaron Thacker, spokesman for the secretary of state’s office, said that despite the 118,000 signatures submitted to qualify for the Arizona ballot last Friday, exceeding the number required, Kennedy is now opting out.
Earlier this week, Kennedy’s eligibility to be on the ballot was confirmed by the Secretary of State’s office. “Actually our staff worked all weekend verifying his signature when he turned it in at 5 p.m. on Friday,” Thacker said. “He only needed about 42k and he got over 118k though.”
However, there could be problems with these signings; two people familiar with the campaign told The New York Times this week that they were gathered by a pro-Kennedy super PAC not part of his campaign itself.
The campaign may have violated federal law as it limits coordination between campaigns and outside organizations which could expose them to legal challenges.
After weeks of discussions between their respective teams, he is also expected to back former President Donald Trump However support hasn’t yet been decided upon say people close to Kennedy
Meanwhile, on Thursday Trump’s campaign announced that there will be a “special guest” joining him during Friday’s rally in Glendale, Arizona.
Kennedy ran as a Democrat in his presidential campaign against President Joe Biden last year before launching an independent bid which caused anxiety in both major parties who worried he would siphon away significant amounts of their respective voters.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s presidential bid has faced daunting odds since its inception. His national approval rating polls hover around 5 percent—a figure too low for success but still potentially influential in key battleground states (O’Connor) (another word). Nationwide efforts to enfranchise voters have been costly and complex, with millions of dollars spent on signature-gathering companies and other related expenses largely funded by his running mate, Nicole, the former spouse of Google co-founder Sergey ·Funded by Shanahan.
His campaign also faces legal hurdles in multiple states, including two in New York where a judge recently invalidated his petition because of a “false” address used for residency purposes. Kennedy became famous as an environmental lawyer but over the past few years has gained notoriety for his anti-vaccine stance along with promoting conspiracy theories & right-wing misinformation. Many members of the Kennedy family denounced his candidacy and actively campaigned to support President Joe Biden’s re-election bid.
Kennedy’s announcement in Arizona coincided with Vice President Kamala Harris’ formal acceptance of the Democratic presidential nomination Thursday night at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. While Harris’ campaign did not respond to requests for comment on this development, Trump’s campaign did not immediately respond when contacted about it.
