By Caitlin Yilek, Allison Novelo
/ CBS News
Will RFK Jr.’s supporters go to Trump?
Washington — Robert F. Kennedy Jr. spent months battling for ballot access in every state, denying that he would be a spoiler candidate.
Kennedy, a Democrat-turned-independent, is now worried that if his name appears on the ballot in 10 states it could spoil former President Donald Trump’s chances of beating Vice President Kamala Harris.
On Friday, Kennedy suspended his campaign and endorsed Trump. Kennedy said his name would remain on the ballot in many noncompetitive states. But in the seven battleground states and three others that he considers competitive, he would request to have his name removed from the ballot.
“Our polling consistently showed that by staying on the ballot in the battleground states, I would likely hand the election over to the Democrats, with whom I disagree on the most existential issues,” he said.
Some of the states have granted Kennedy’s request. Others say he must remain. Here’s where his efforts to get off the ballot in those 10 states stand.
Arizona
Kennedy was set to appear on Arizona’s ballot until he filed the paperwork to withdraw his name a day before he suspended his campaign.
“He won’t appear on any ballot,” a spokesperson for Arizona’s secretary of state told CBS News.
Florida
Florida granted Kennedy’s request to withdraw his candidacy, according to the Florida Department of State’s website.
Kennedy had accepted the Reform Party’s nomination as he fought for ballot access. Minor parties had until Saturday, the day after Kennedy suspended his campaign, to certify candidates’ names with the state.
Georgia
A recent court ruling determined Kennedy was “not qualified” to appear on the ballot in Georgia, citing questions about his New York residency. The secretary of state’s office was reviewing the ruling and would “have a decision as soon as possible,” a spokesperson told CBS News.
Michigan
Kennedy will remain on the ballot in Michigan. A spokesperson for the secretary of state’s office told CBS News that his name would still appear on the ballot because “he cannot withdraw at this point.”
He gained ballot access through the Natural Law Party, a minor party that has ballot access. Doing so allowed him to bypass collecting thousands of signatures, which is required of independent candidates who do not have a party’s backing.
Nevada
Kennedy was removed from the ballot in Nevada, despite missing the Aug. 20 deadline to withdraw his name.
The Nevada Secretary of State confirmed Tuesday that it had received a court order to remove Kennedy from the ballot, ending a lengthy legal battle over his ballot access.
His initial petition was considered invalid because he did not have a running mate when signatures were collected, which is required by state law to be eligible for ballot access. Democrats also sued to boot him from the ballot, arguing that Kennedy’s affiliation with different political parties in other states violates Nevada’s ballot access laws for independent candidates. The lawsuit was dropped Tuesday.
North Carolina
Kennedy is also on the ballot in North Carolina, and it may be too late for him to withdraw because the first absentee ballots go out Sept. 6. More than half of the state’s 100 counties have already printed ballots, according to Patrick Gannon, North Carolina State Board of Elections’ public information director.
Gannon told CBS News that the We The People Party, which nominated Kennedy, “has not informed the State Board of any plans to change its nomination.”
“If We The People officially withdraws his nomination, the State Board would have to consider whether it is practical to remove his name from ballots and reprint ballots at that time,” Gannon said.
Ohio
Kennedy asked to withdraw from the Ohio ballot the same day the state announced he had qualified to appear on it. Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose confirmed that Kennedy would be removed. The deadline for LaRose to certify the ballot that will be used in November is Sept. 6.
Pennsylvania
A judge granted Kennedy’s request to withdraw his candidacy on Friday. Before that, Kennedy faced a legal challenge from Democratic activists in the state who questioned the validity of his petition.
Texas
Kennedy withdrew his name from the ballot in Texas on the same day he suspended his campaign, according to the secretary of state’s website.
Wisconsin
The Wisconsin Elections Commission certified that Kennedy would appear on the ballot on Tuesday, rejecting his request to withdraw.
According to Wisconsin law, “any person who files nomination papers and qualifies to appear on the ballot may not decline nomination. The name of that person shall appear upon the ballot except in case of death of the person.”
Libby Cathey contributed reporting.
Libby Cathey contributed to this report.
Caitlin Yilek is a politics reporter at CBSNews.com, based in Washington, D.C. She previously worked for the Washington Examiner and The Hill, and was a member of the 2022 Paul Miller Washington Reporting Fellowship with the National Press Foundation.
