Independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has made it onto the ballot in California, according to his campaign on Monday.
Kennedy, along with his running mate Nicole Shanahan, received support from the American Independent Party (AIP) of California, which is in the state with the most votes in the Electoral College. The campaign said they filed the necessary paperwork with California’s secretary of state on Monday.
In a five-minute video, Kennedy mentioned that the AIP was originally associated with segregationist George Wallace from Alabama.
However, he noted that the party has transformed into one that stands for compassion, unity, idealism, and common sense. Kennedy expressed that the party’s new charter allows independent candidates to work towards uniting America without facing barriers from the two-party system.
Kennedy and Shanahan have qualified for the ballot in three states so far: Utah, Michigan, and now California. They have also gathered enough signatures to be on the ballot in seven other states, including New Hampshire, Nevada, Hawaii, North Carolina, Idaho, Nebraska, and Iowa.
Kennedy, who shifted from being a Democrat to an independent last year, aims to be on ballots across the country alongside President Biden and former President Trump. He believes neither of the major party nominees is suitable to continue leading the country.
Although Kennedy’s campaign is striving to collect signatures from all 50 states, experts suggest that securing a few crucial battleground states could significantly influence the election outcome.
Currently, Kennedy is polling ahead of other third-party candidates. However, his numbers against Biden and Trump have declined in recent polling data. As of Monday, Kennedy had approximately 8.5 percent of the vote, with Trump leading at just over 42 percent and Biden at nearly 41 percent.
