Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has officially qualified to be on Nevada’s ballot as a presidential candidate by submitting more than enough verified signatures in support of his campaign. Kennedy collected 22,238 valid signatures, surpassing the required 10,095 signatures needed for the petition to be declared sufficient. However, he still needs to file candidacy paperwork by August 9 to officially secure his spot on the November ballot.
Kennedy’s campaign has faced challenges in other states as well. While his website tracks states where paperwork has been submitted, Ballotpedia lists only eight states where ballot access has been confirmed. Additionally, the Nevada Democratic Party has filed a lawsuit challenging his eligibility, arguing that his various partisan affiliations in other states preclude his candidacy under Nevada law.
Kennedy initially entered the race as a Democrat but later switched to be an independent. He has been portrayed as a potential spoiler against President Joe Biden, and a pro-Trump billionaire has donated at least $10 million to his campaign. National polling in July shows Kennedy averaging around 6 percentage points when pitted against Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump.
It remains to be seen what impact Kennedy will have on the race, especially after Biden dropped out and Harris became a frontrunner. The Kennedy campaign did not respond to requests for comment on the matter. For more information on state politics, readers can reach out to Mark Robison, the state politics reporter for the Reno Gazette Journal, via email or his Greater Reno Facebook page.
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