Additional Coverage:
A Wisconsin judge has denied Robert F. Kennedy’s request to remove his name from the presidential ballot, stating that state law requires candidates to remain on the ballot unless they pass away.
Kennedy, who suspended his campaign and endorsed Donald Trump, has attempted to withdraw his name from ballots in key battleground states where the race between Trump and Kamala Harris is close.
Despite Kennedy’s argument that third-party candidates face discrimination compared to major party nominees, the judge ruled that Wisconsin statutes clearly state that candidates cannot withdraw after filing nomination papers.
County clerks have already sent out ballots with Kennedy’s name on them, making it impractical to remove it with stickers. The judge also raised concerns about the potential for litigation if his name was not covered on some ballots.
Kennedy’s attorneys had requested that a state appellate court take the case before the judge’s ruling, but no action has been taken yet.
The presence of third-party candidates could impact the outcome in Wisconsin, where past presidential elections have been decided by narrow margins. Some Democrats have blamed the Green Party’s Jill Stein for Trump’s victory in Wisconsin in 2016.