ASHEVILLE, North Carolina – Former independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s name will not appear on North Carolina ballots this year, a decision that’s seen as helpful to Republican nominee Donald Trump’s chances in the 2024 battleground state.
The North Carolina Supreme Court ordered state election officials on Sept. 9 to remove Kennedy’s name from ballots and reprint them, which will likely cut weeks off the state’s mail-in voting period. Its decision came a day after Michigan’s Supreme Court ruled Kennedy’s name must stay on that state’s ballot and in turn helping Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris.
Kennedy in August suspended his presidential campaign , endorsed Trump and has tried to use the courts to ensure his name isn’t directly available for voters in critical swing states – with mixed success .
The Asheville Citizen Times, a USA TODAY Network partner, previously reported that Kennedy’s name would remain on the ballot following a Wake County Superior Court ruling on Sept. 5, denying Kennedy’s request to have his name removed. Kennedy appealed to the North Carolina Court of Appeals, who ruled in his favor on Sept. 6, the state-mandated deadline for counties to begin distributing mail-in absentee ballots.