The Robert F. Kennedy Jr./Nicole Shanahan presidential campaign qualified to vote in California's presidential election on Monday, making it the fourth state in which the Kennedy campaign has gained voting rights to date.
Mr. Kennedy first announced his candidacy in Boston in April 2023, and has been actively campaigning for president ever since. RFK Jr. originally ran as a Democrat, but became an independent in October 2023. Polls in the months that followed showed Mr. Kennedy's approval rating between 5% and 12%, prompting many Democrats and Republicans to accuse him of unfair treatment. Spoiler vote. Democrats specifically compared him to Ralph Nader, and Republicans called him Ross Perot.
Nevertheless, Kennedy moved forward with his campaign, announcing in Oakland last month that technology lawyer Nicole Shanahan would be his running mate. But access to ballots remained a thorny issue for campaigns. Since late 2023, the campaign has focused on gaining access in large constituencies and battleground states. These include Arizona, California, Georgia, Michigan, Illinois, New York, North Carolina, and Texas. His first state choice was Utah in December 2023. He came to New Hampshire the next month, but it wasn't until earlier this month that he appeared on the ballot in Michigan. Needing a larger state to facilitate faster voting access, Mr. RFK Jr. focused on his home state of California. That effort paid off on Monday, when the Kennedy Shanahan campaign, through the American Independence Party (AIP), voted in California.
“Ironically, AIP was originally the political party of racist former Alabama governor George Wallace, but it had a resurgence of its own before I joined,” RFK said. Junior in a video presentation Monday. “It has been reborn as a party that represents compassion and unity, idealism and common sense, rather than bigotry and hatred.” He said he could use that front to his advantage to help independent candidates unite America without being hindered by the United States.
Although California is only the fourth state, the success of the campaign in California has given it access to other states with similar successes, including Nevada, Hawaii, North Carolina, Idaho, Nebraska, and Iowa. A final decision is likely, experts told the Globe on Monday.
“Yes, RFK Jr. can really attract votes on both sides of the aisle this election,” political analyst Eloise Johnson told the Globe on Monday. “He has supporters on both the far right and the far left. I mean, he still has the Kennedy name, and we don't see Kennedy again in the presidential race, even as a third-party candidate. Who would have imagined that it would be possible?
“That being said, he only has a handful of states right now. Even if his team runs a full-court press, he probably won't be able to score all 50 points.” It won't be enough points to make a difference in the election, but it could be enough to boost Trump's approval ratings.More concerning are New Hampshire and Michigan. states, and states like Nevada and North Carolina. Those states are always close, and RFK Jr. coming in and siphoning votes could be a concern. Also, his eligibility for debates. There are also concerns about whether or not there is.
“California gave his campaign a big boost today by giving him the right to vote. And once you get California, it makes things easier elsewhere.”
Details of Kennedy Jr.'s campaign are expected to be announced soon.
