Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has ruled out the possibility of seeking the Libertarian Party’s nomination in the 2024 election.
RFK Jr. had considered the party’s nomination to ensure ballot access in all 50 states.
However, the former Democrat seems confident his name will appear on the ballot across the country in November.
“We’re not gonna have any problems getting on the ballot ourselves so we won’t be running Libertarian,” he told ABC News.
“There are several people running for the Libertarian nomination, and just about any of them would represent us better than Bobby would,” Spike Cohen said, according to The New York Sun.
RFK Jr. will not seek the Libertarian Party nomination, putting to rest debate over whether he could win it.
“There are several people running for the Libertarian nomination, and just about any of them would represent us better than Bobby would,” @RealSpikeCohen says. pic.twitter.com/eTFUOBVJt3
— Caroline McCaughey (@TheCarolineMc) April 14, 2024
Per ABC News:
Kennedy spoke from West Des Moines, Iowa, where his campaign was taking a victory lap, touting their Saturday afternoon gambit to get on to the general election ballot in Iowa through a quirk in state law as a rollicking success. Its plan was to hold a small, one- day convention in West Des Moines with at least 500 eligible voters, who must hail from at least 25 of the state’s 99 counties.
The campaign says they surpassed that benchmark — with a member of his team claiming it accrued 686 credentialed delegates representing more than 35 counties in Iowa.
The results have yet to be certified by the Iowa secretary of state’s office.
During the interview with ABC News prior to his assembly Saturday, Kennedy said he found a single day event “easier” than amassing the 3,500 signatures needed to gain independent access via petition.
And he said “100% confident” he can replicate these results in all 50 states, despite encountering concurring roadblocks to getting on the ballot across the country.
“We’re going to add probably two to three states a week,” Kennedy said.
After months of flirting with a possible Libertarian Party run, independent presidential candidate, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., says he will not seek the Libertarian nomination at the party’s convention in May. https://t.co/M6drTttqdd
— The New York Sun (@NewYorkSun) April 14, 2024
“The only reason Bobby ever considered the LP nomination is for ballot access. It’s ridiculous that candidates need to fight so hard just to give voters the option to vote for them,” Cohen commented.
The only reason Bobby ever considered the LP nomination is for ballot access.
It’s ridiculous that candidates need to fight so hard just to give voters the option to vote for them.
When the country was founded, the ballots simply had the positions that were up for election,…
— Spike Cohen (@RealSpikeCohen) April 14, 2024
“Mr. Kennedy has many areas of alignment with the Libertarian Party, including a strong stance on civil liberties and keeping the country out of foreign wars,” RFK Jr.’s spokesperson told The Hill.
“Mr. Kennedy, however, is not contemplating joining the Libertarian ticket. He is running as an Independent candidate and will be on the ballot in all 50 states and the District of Columbia,” they added.
From The Hill:
Speculation was raised last month over a possible Libertarian bid for Kennedy after he spoke at the party’s annual convention in California. He had casually entertained a switch after seeing increasing support from party members, strategists and activists, multiple sources told The Hill last month.
Kennedy, who switched from a Democratic to independent ticket last fall, is looking to appear uniformly on ballots across the map against President Biden and former President Trump. He has repeatedly argued the presumptive party nominees are unfit to continue serving.
Kennedy is currently polling ahead of other third-party candidates, though his numbers when against Biden and Trump have dropped in polling aggregation by Decision Desk HQ and The Hill.
He has about 7.7 percent support as of Sunday, compared to 41.8 percent for Trump and 40.8 percent for Biden. Last month, the same polling aggregates showed Kennedy with about 11 percent support.
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