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Robert F. Kennedy Jr. withdraws his Independent candidacy from Ohio’s ballot after suspending campaign
By: George Shillcock | WOSU
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COLUMBUS, Ohio (WOSU) — Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will not appear on the general election ballot for millions of Ohio voters this November.
Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose’s office confirmed to WOSU Kennedy’s campaign submitted the proper paperwork to withdraw his name from the ballot.
Kennedy had just submitted the required number of signatures on Friday to be on Ohio’s ballot, shortly before he announced he was suspending his campaign and endorsing Trump.
He took steps to withdraw his candidacy in at least two states late last week, Arizona and Pennsylvania, but election officials in the battleground states of Michigan, Nevada and Wisconsin said it would be too late for him to take his name off the ballot even if he wants to.
Kennedy is still planning to appear on several states’ ballots this November. Kennedy’s campaign told the Associated Press his name would stay on the ballot in several states to avoid hurting Trump’s chances in key swing states.
He first entered the 2024 presidential race as a Democrat but left the party last fall to run as an independent. He built an unusually strong base for a third-party bid, fueled in part by anti-establishment voters and vaccine skeptics who have followed his anti-vaccine work since the COVID-19 pandemic. But he has since faced strained campaign finances and mounting legal challenges.
Kennedy said his internal polls had shown that his presence in the race would hurt Trump and help Democratic nominee Kamala Harris, though recent public polls don’t provide a clear indication that he is having an outsized impact on support for either major-party candidate.
The election thus far has been tumultuous with Biden’s withdrawal, Trump surviving an assassination attempt and the Democratic Party nominating Vice President Kamala Harris to run for president in Biden’s place.