On Thursday, September 5th, former US independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. successfully had his name removed from the ballot in Wyoming.
On Wednesday, September 4th, Kennedy submitted a request to the Wyoming Secretary of State’s office to have his name withdrawn from the state’s presidential election ballot. The request was approved.
Wyoming Secretary of State Chuck Gray stated in a press release on Thursday that “Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will not appear on the presidential candidate ballot in Wyoming following his withdrawal request. Our office is dedicated to providing efficient and transparent services to the people of Wyoming.”
Kennedy, the nephew of the late President John F. Kennedy and an environmental lawyer, initially launched his campaign as a Democratic presidential candidate before switching to an independent challenger for the White House. Due to lower-than-expected poll results, he announced the suspension of his campaign and endorsed Trump on August 23rd in Phoenix.
Subsequently, Kennedy initiated a series of “key state ballot removal plans” to remove his name from ballots in several crucial swing states to avoid benefiting Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. According to CBS News, Kennedy will not appear on the ballots in Arizona, Georgia, Nevada, and Pennsylvania.
However, Kennedy emphasized that he is only “suspending,” not “ending,” his campaign. Therefore, he urged supporters to continue backing him in non-key states where his name will remain on the ballot.
“I want everyone to know that I have not terminated my campaign,” he said. “I am just suspending it, not ending it. My name will continue to appear on ballots in most states.”
Kennedy cited internal polls indicating that continuing his candidacy might negatively affect Trump’s votes. He also mentioned freedom of speech, the Russia-Ukraine war, and other issues as reasons that led to his decision to suspend the campaign.
Currently, three key swing states – Michigan, Wisconsin, and North Carolina – have refused to remove Kennedy’s name from the ballots. Kennedy’s lawyers stated they would appeal in those cases.