Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has achieved a major milestone in his campaign — obtaining ballot access in deep-blue California.
Kennedy announced on Monday that he had successfully completed all of the requirements to place his name on the California ballot. He secured the backing of the American Independent Party (AIP) of California and officially filed the required paperwork with California’s secretary of state.
The independent presidential candidate issued a five-minute video statement about the news, affirming the AIP’s evolution as a symbol of “compassion, unity, idealism and common sense” — while acknowledging the party’s past association with segregationist and former Alabama Gov. George Wallace.
“When they learned about my candidacy, they had just drafted a new charter for their reborn party, where they could use their battle lines for good — helping independent candidates to unite America without being blocked by the two-party duopoly,” Kennedy added.
Huge news! Kennedy-Shanahan on the California ballot! Watch the video below to hear how it happened ⬇️ #KennedyShanahan24 pic.twitter.com/wV2R4P9y8Q
— Robert F. Kennedy Jr (@RobertKennedyJr) April 29, 2024
California is the third state where Kennedy and his running mate, entrepreneur and lawyer Nicole Shanahan, have achieved ballot access. He has successfully placed his name on the ballot in Utah and Michigan, while his campaign has also secured enough signatures to file for ballot access in New Hampshire, Nevada, Hawaii, North Carolina, Idaho, Nebraska and Iowa.
Meanwhile, as President Joe Biden’s campaign continues to worry about Kennedy siphoning away votes from the president in November — while at the same time desperately pushing the narrative that Kennedy would actually pull votes from former president and presumptive GOP nominee Donald Trump — Kennedy securing ballot access in California is another major blow to the Biden campaign.
According to The Hill, Kennedy currently has support from 8.4% of American voters, while Trump has 42.2% and Biden has 40.9%. However, Biden’s low approval ratings mean that Kennedy has a chance of swaying even more voters in the months leading up to the November election.
A recent Gallup poll shows Biden’s approval rating sitting at 38.7% — meaning that he is the least popular president at this point in his term for the last 70 years, even worse than former presidents Richard Nixon and Jimmy Carter. With this low rating, many Democrat voters are looking for an alternative, giving Kennedy a potential edge in the November election.
BREAKING: According to a fresh Gallup Poll, Joe Biden's job approval rating for the first quarter of 2024 is 38.7%, making him the least popular president at this point in his presidency in the last 70 years.
NOTE: He rates lower than Richard Nixon and Jimmy Carter's, just… pic.twitter.com/cDZCrywRpS
— Simon Ateba (@simonateba) April 27, 2024
If Kennedy can siphon enough votes from Biden in California, Trump has a small chance of winning the state.
