RFK Jr. Forced to Stay on Michigan Ballot, Could Impact 2024 Race

Michigan’s Democrat-controlled Supreme Court has ruled that Robert F. Kennedy Jr. must remain on the ballot, despite his decision to end his 2024 presidential campaign and endorse Donald Trump. The ruling, which overturns a lower court’s decision, has sparked concerns about the potential impact on the upcoming election.

Kennedy, who dropped out of the race last month, had requested to be removed from the Michigan ballot, citing his withdrawal and endorsement of Trump. However, the court's ruling found that he "has not shown an entitlement to this extraordinary relief" and upheld Michigan’s Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson’s decision to keep him on. Benson, a Democrat, refused to remove Kennedy's name, arguing that candidates from minor parties cannot withdraw after a certain point in the process.

This decision is significant, especially in a state where Trump’s victory over Hillary Clinton in 2016 came down to just 10,000 votes, and Biden's win in 2020 was by a more substantial 150,000 votes. With Kennedy now forced to stay on the ballot, there's concern that voters unaware of his withdrawal might split the vote, potentially tipping the scales in the race between Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris.

• Michigan’s Supreme Court, dominated by Democrat-appointed justices, reversed a lower court ruling, ensuring Kennedy’s name stays on the ballot.

• RFK Jr.’s legal team warned the move could mislead voters and distort the election's outcome, with ballots potentially going to a candidate no longer running.

• Republican-nominated justices on the court strongly dissented, claiming the decision would confuse voters and undermine trust in the election process.

Kennedy had worked diligently to get his name on ballots in all 50 states as an independent candidate. Now, ironically, he's battling to undo that success in key states like Michigan, which could prove pivotal in deciding the 2024 election. His attorney, Aaron Siri, called out the ruling as a blatant attempt to "have unwitting Michigan voters throw away their votes on a withdrawn candidate.”

The implications of this decision extend beyond Michigan. While the state moves forward with printing ballots, North Carolina’s Supreme Court, with a majority of Republican justices, ruled in Kennedy’s favor, allowing ballots there to be reprinted without his name. The stark contrast between these rulings highlights the partisan struggles that continue to affect the integrity of the election process across the country.

In Michigan, Republican-nominated justices David Viviano and Brian Zahra expressed their frustration in a scathing dissent. They warned the decision would "pervert the true popular will" by distorting voter choices and potentially altering the outcome in a state where every vote matters.

As the battle for the White House heats up, decisions like this will continue to shape the election landscape. Michigan’s ruling could create unforeseen consequences, especially as absentee ballots are distributed to voters by federal deadlines. With Kennedy’s name still in play, the stakes have only risen higher in this critical battleground state.

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