Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. speaks during a campaign event in Columbia, South Carolina, Tuesday, Nov. 14, 2023. Kennedy was collecting signatures in support of putting his name on the 2024 general election ballot. (AP Photo/Meg Kinnard)
CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD) – Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced Friday that he has qualified to run for president in South Carolina in November but will not run as an independent.
The Alliance Party in South Carolina has selected Kennedy as its presidential candidate, his campaign announced Friday.
“I proudly accept the Alliance Party's nomination for President of the United States,” Kennedy said. “Their leaders and members have demonstrated an inspiring commitment to the values that animate our representative democracy.”
The chairman of the Coalition party did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
South Carolina Election Commission officials said Kennedy filed a petition in March seeking ballot access as an independent, a process that requires candidates to submit the signatures of 10,000 registered voters.
But because the state bans mixed voting, in which multiple parties nominate the same candidate, Kennedy will now only appear on the ballot under the Union Party label.
Kennedy and his running mate, Nicole Shanahan, also won ballots in California, Delaware, Hawaii, Michigan, Oklahoma, Texas and Utah.
The campaign also announced that it has collected enough signatures to get on the ballot in Idaho, Iowa, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina and Ohio.
Kennedy has 8% support in a hypothetical three-way matchup with President Biden and former President Trump, according to a Decision Desk HQ/The Hill polling average.
