LANSING, Mich. (AP) — A Michigan judge has ruled that Robert F. Kennedy Jr. must remain on the November presidential ballot, a blow to his crusade to strategically keep his ticket out of swing states.
Kennedy suspended his campaign and endorsed former President Donald Trump in August. Since then, he has tried to withdraw his name in states — such as Michigan — where the race could be close, while trying to stay on the ballot in states where he is unlikely to make a difference between Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris.
Kennedy filed a lawsuit in Michigan’s Court of Claims on Friday against Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson in an attempt to withdraw his name. Michigan election officials had previously rejected Kennedy’s notice of withdrawal.
The Associated Press has reached out to the secretary of state’s office for comment on the appeals court ruling, issued Tuesday.
In a post on X earlier in the day, Benson said that under Michigan law, candidates who are nominated and accept the nomination of a minor party “may not withdraw.”
Kennedy argued in the lawsuit that his notice of withdrawal was timely and that the electorate’s votes could be “diminished and nullified” if he remained on the ballot. He filed a similar lawsuit Friday in North Carolina, where he is seeking to have his name removed from the ballot.
Judge Christopher P. Yates of the Michigan Court of Appeals concluded that the Secretary of State had properly denied Kennedy’s request to be removed from the ballot.
“Elections are not mere games, and the Secretary of State (SOS) is not obligated to honor the whims of candidates for public office,” Yates wrote in his opinion and order.
The Associated Press asked for comment from Kennedy’s lawyers on Tuesday.
Wisconsin election officials said last week that Kennedy should remain on the ballot there. His request to withdraw was denied.
Last week, another Michigan Court of Appeals judge ruled that liberal independent presidential candidate Cornel West should remain on the ballot, a decision West’s campaign was happy about.
Kennedy and West, prominent third-party candidates, are at the center of multiple legal and political battles across the country as Democrats and Republicans try to leverage the impact of third-party candidates who could draw support from their opponents. Republican allies in several swing states, including Arizona and Michigan, have tried to keep West on the ballot amid Democratic fears that he could steal votes from Vice President Kamala Harris.
