RFK Jr. in talks to run on the Libertarian Party ticket to ease ballot challenges – Washington Examiner

Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is reportedly considering making the switch to the Libertarian Party presidential ticket after struggling to get his name on the ballot in all 50 states.

Over the last few weeks, Kennedy has been in talks with Libertarian Party Chairwoman Angela McArdle over the third-party ballot process, Politico reported. Kennedy initially launched his campaign for the presidency as a Democrat but switched to running as an independent in October. While Kennedy is not a libertarian, as an independent, he has encountered several hurdles trying to get his name on the ballot and has sued several states for early deadlines which he has called unconstitutional.

Its go time, but if he whips as we call it whips for votes, then he could do it, McArdle said. Kennedy is a real dark horse.

Each state has its own laws on what is required for independent candidates to get their name on the ballot, causing candidates who belong to neither political party to face numerous ballot access challenges.

In many states, including Nevada, Kennedys petition secured the required amount of signatures but is still not eligible to be on the ballot because the petition did not include a vice president. The only state that has yet to confirm Kennedys name on the ballot is Utah.

Meanwhile, the Libertarian Party is already on the ballot in 36 states, according to Ballotpedia. A spokesperson for Kennedy said his campaign is keeping all options open.

However, Kennedys pro-Israel stance could be a major deal breaker for the Libertarian Party, whose members are anti-war, McArdle said.

Kennedy has been a staunch supporter of Israel, telling Reuters last week that Israel was a moral nation, and questioned the efficacy of a ceasefire in Gaza, saying that prior ceasefires have been used by Hamas to rearm, to rebuild and then launch another surprise attack. So what would be different this time?

I think to his credit, he does want to come to a consensus and find some agreement, McArdle said. So that argument may still be sorting itself out. But the majority of our members are going to say no to funding Israel and to enabling any of the death and destruction thats happening in Gaza. And its a pretty hard line.

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Kennedy has garnered enough signatures to get his name on the ballot in Nevada, New Hampshire, and Hawaii, according to his campaign. His American Values 2024 super PAC announced last month that Kennedys campaign had collected the required amount of signatures in South Carolina and in key swing states Michigan, Arizona, and Georgia.

Ron Nielson, a former campaign manager for libertarian presidential nominee Gary Johnson, told the Hill earlier this month that if he accepted the nomination for the Libertarian Party, that would probably change a lot of heads and that there are people in the movement that would support him.

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RFK Jr. in talks to run on the Libertarian Party ticket to ease ballot challenges - Washington Examiner