RFK Jr.'s candidacy will continue in Michigan's electoral process, as per the state Supreme Court's decision.
The higher court in the state decided, in their main judgment, that Kennedy failed to prove his eligibility for the extraordinary action of having his name eliminated from the election list, after requesting this removal following his nomination by the Natural Law Party, a minor group with voting rights in Michigan. This decision overturned a Michigan Court of Appeals ruling on Friday, which had taken Kennedy off the ballot based on an appeal submitted by Michigan's Secretary of State.
Kennedy had secured his spot on the ballot for the pivotal state following his nomination by the Natural Law Party. Michigan Supreme Court Justice Elizabeth Welch, in her supporting verdict, cited opposition from Natural Law Party chair Doug Dern to Kennedy's withdrawal four months after his nomination as a factor in her belief that Kennedy did not have a legitimate claim to be removed from the ballot.
This judgment hinders Kennedy's ambition to steer his supporters towards Trump following his endorsement of the former president last month. Kennedy's goal has been to delete his name from the ballots of battleground states, as part of a plan to boost the Republican candidate's support in areas that could swing the election's outcome. Last week, he urged his supporters to back Trump, regardless of their location.
Although Kennedy's popularity was low, with single-digit support, when he abandoned his presidential bid last month, these votes could potentially influence the results in tightly contested states like Michigan. In a CNN survey published last week, Kennedy garnered 4% support among probable voters in Michigan, despite having suspended his campaign. In the same survey, Vice President Kamala Harris led in Michigan with 48%, compared to Trump's 43%.
The decision effectively ends Kennedy's legal struggle to be deleted from Michigan's election list, following his initial defeat in a Michigan Court of Claims case. He then appealed to the Michigan Court of Appeals, which ruled in his favor, leading to his removal from the ballot on Friday. However, this decision was reversed on Monday.
Mail-in voting in Michigan is scheduled to begin on September 26, although ballots for overseas and military voters are required to be dispatched by September 21.
Ethan Cohen helped compile this report.
Kennedy's legal attempt to withdraw from Michigan's election, initiated after his nomination by the Natural Law Party, has been thwarted in politics, as the Michigan Supreme Court overturned the lower court's decision to remove his name from the ballot. This development jeopardizes Kennedy's strategy to influence the election outcomes in battleground states by withdrawing from the ballots, a move aimed at boosting support for the Republican candidate.
