Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will be on the ballot in Michigan next November, creating a new and unpredictable dynamic in the battleground state.
The Michigan Secretary of State’s office confirmed to the Post on Thursday that Kennedy would be listed as an option in the Nov. 5 election after he and his running mate, Nicole Shanahan, were nominated for president and vice president by the Law Party natural.
Kennedy, 70, was polling at 13 percent in the Mitten State, according to a survey conducted earlier this month by Marketing Resource Group.
In a five-way showdown, the poll found that former President Donald Trump received 37% support, President Biden received 34%, Green Party candidate Jill Stein received 2% and independent candidate Cornel West received got 1%.
The survey also showed Kennedy edging Biden into third place among self-described independent voters, with Trump getting 33% of that demographic, RFK Jr. 22% and Biden 21%.
Kennedy also had 40% support among so-called “double haters,” referring to potential voters who dislike both Biden and Trump. The 45th president was far behind with 11% support in this demographic, followed by Biden with 10%.
“He is the most qualified candidate in modern American history,” Doug Dern, chairman of the Natural Law Party of Michigan, said in a statement. “We welcome Mr. Kennedy and Ms. Shanahan to the party.”
“Kennedy is good for Michigan,” said Bill Costantino, Kennedy 2024 Western Michigan regional coordinator. “As an environmental champion for more than 40 years, Kennedy will work to restore our Great Lakes region, which holds 20 percent of the world’s fresh water. It will ensure a thriving fishing economy and ecosystem for commercial and individual fishermen.
Kennedy was expected to mark his electoral success by hosting a comedy show Sunday night in the Detroit suburb of Royal Oak, headlined by former “Saturday Night Live” mainstay Rob Schneider.
The independent candidate aims to get registered to vote in all 50 states – a difficult task given the different qualifications required for each contest.
Kennedy’s team maintains he’s already on the ballot in Utah and has enough signatures to qualify in New Hampshire, Nevada, Hawaii, North Carolina, Idaho , Nebraska and Iowa.
“We have field teams, volunteers, legal teams, paid communicators, supporters and strategists ready to do the work,” said campaign press secretary Stefanie Spear. “We exceed all our benchmarks and will announce new states every week.”
RFK Jr. ran a campaign focused on his anti-vaccine, anti-war and environmental policies, while hitting out at both Biden and Trump.
Both major party candidates have seen supporters attack Kennedy — with Trump’s super PAC, Make American Great Again Inc., launching a “Radical F-ing Kennedy” website Monday and more than a dozen members of The Kennedy family endorsed Biden on Thursday.
New York Post
