RFK PAC gathers enough signatures to put Kennedy on ballot in Arizona, Georgia
By Aaron Pellish, CNN
(CNN) — The outside group supporting Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s independent presidential bid has gathered enough signatures to qualify Kennedy to appear on the ballot in two key battleground states in November, the group announced on Tuesday.
American Values 2024 said in a news release they have gathered the necessary signatures to secure ballot access for Kennedy in Arizona and Georgia, two states that helped President Joe Biden defeat former President Donald Trump in the 2020 election by very narrow margins.
“The grassroots energy and momentum give us more confidence than ever in our ability to knock out the remaining states on our list of states quickly,” PAC co-founder Tony Lyons said in a statement on Tuesday.
While Kennedy’s longshot bid is unlikely to garner enough support to win in November, his appearance on the ballot in pivotal swing states could reshuffle the electoral dynamics in a potential rematch between Biden and Trump. Biden defeated Trump by less than half a percentage point in both Arizona and Georgia in the 2020 election.
Kennedy is currently on the ballot in one state, Utah, and his campaign has gathered enough signatures to appear on the ballots in New Hampshire and Hawaii.
A New York Times/Siena College poll from October of registered voters in Arizona found Kennedy earning 26% support, with Biden and Trump earning 33% each. A similar poll of registered voters in Georgia showed Kennedy with 24%, trailing Trump at 36% with Biden at 29%.
The PAC says it will continue to run its own signature gathering operation in ten other states, including Michigan, a battleground state, and others with large signature requirement thresholds like Texas, California and New York. In December, the group said it plans to spend between $10 million and $15 million to help gather signatures on behalf of Kennedy.
Kennedy has repeatedly said he plans to appear on the ballot in all 50 states and Washington, DC, ahead of the November election.
Earlier this month, the Democratic National Committee filed an FEC complaint alleging illegal coordination between the PAC and Kennedy’s campaign surrounding the group’s ballot access initiative. Kennedy campaign officials and PAC officials have denied violating FEC rules.
The FEC complaint is part of an expanded effort by Democrats to combat Kennedy’s campaign. The DNC has paid for billboards outside multiple Kennedy campaign events in the past month highlighting contributions to the PAC from Timothy Mellon, a GOP megadonor, who has contributed large sums to Trump-aligned groups.
Lyons told CNN on Tuesday the PAC has yet to submit its signatures to the elections offices in Arizona and Georgia, but plans to do so in compliance with FEC guidelines.
“Each state has specific rules about the timing and process of the submission. We will follow the exact rules and FEC precedent as explained by our attorneys and without coordinating with the campaign,” Lyons said.
The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2024 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.
