RFK Jr. takes legal action in critical 2024 election swing state

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is now suing to get his name removed from the 2024 presidential ballot in North Carolina.

The Democrat-turned-independent presidential candidate suspended his campaign at the end of August in 10 competitive states and endorsed Donald Trump.

But RFK Jr. is facing a roadblock in North Carolina because the state already printed their ballots and will start sending them out this week for absentee and early voting.

'It would not be practical to reprint ballots that have already been printed and meet the state law deadline to start absentee voting,' the North Carolina state board of electors said in a statement on August 29.

The request for removal of RFK Jr.'s name came after 1.7 million paper ballots were already printed. The state said it would cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to produce new ones and the board will start sending out on Friday vote-by-mail ballots.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is now suing North Carolina to have his name removed from the ballot after the state's election board denied his request to no longer be included after 1.7 million ballots were already printed

Board members voted three to two along Democratic-Republican party lines in denying Kennedy's request.

But the new legal action by the former candidate seeks to force reprinting and removal of Kennedy's name so he doesn't hurt Trump's chances in the key swing state.

Vice President Kamala Harris has taken a small polling lead in North Carolina, which voted red in 2016 and 2020 but is considered a battleground as it leans more toward the center with each passing election and, like many other swing states, has a Democratic governor.

If RFK Jr. is ultimately unsuccessful in removing his name from the ballot in North Carolina, it could undermine his decision to suspend his bid in order to benefit the Republican nominee.

On August 23 – the day after the conclusion of the Democratic National Convention – Kennedy suspended his campaign in 10 of the most competitive states, including the seven swing states of Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.

RFK Jr. appeared at Trump's rally in Arizona that day and endorsed his candidacy.

He was also named co-chair of Trump's transition team along with the ex-president's two sons Donald Jr. and Eric Trump, former Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard and vice presidential nominee Sen. J.D. Vance.

RFK Jr. last month suspended his campaign in the 10 most competitive states in an effort to not hurt Donald Trump's chances in the battlegrounds

'Our polling consistently showed that by staying on the ballot in the battleground states, I would likely hand the election over to the Democrats, with whom I disagree on the most existential issues,' Kennedy told journalists when he announced his withdrawal in Phoenix, Arizona, last month.

The dispute in North Carolina isn't the only state where Kennedy is facing issues removing his name from ballots so soon before Election Day in November.

Wisconsin and Michigan are also refusing him permission.

'Any person who files nomination papers and qualifies to appear on the ballot may not decline nomination. The name of that person shall appear upon the ballot except in case of death of the person,' Wisconsin state's election law states and is cited by the board denying his request to get off the ballot. '

Kennedy has, however, successfully removed himself from the ballot in other battleground states of Pennsylvania, Nevada and Arizona.