Two Swing States REFUSE To Remove RFK Jr.’s Name From The Ballot

The two swing states of Michigan and Wisconsin are living up to their shared “battle ground” moniker.

First, Gov. Whitmer’s Secretary of State is adamant that RFK Jr’s name remain on the Michigan ballot come November — against his will.

🚨 JUST IN: The Michigan Secretary of State is REFUSING RFK Jr’s request to remove his name from the ballot

This is merely an attempt to help Kamala win Michigan, as RFK Jr. believes remaining on the ballot in swing states would hurt Trump.

Governor Whitmer is one of the most… pic.twitter.com/cNuZZti6J9

— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) August 27, 2024

Not to be outdone, the Elections Commission in Wisconsin voted to keep RFK Jr’s name on the November ballot as well — also, against his will.

BREAKING: Following Michigan's example, the Wisconsin Elections Commission just voted 5-1 to keep RFK Jr's name on the ballot against his will

Out of nowhere, Democrats have frozen all efforts to remove RFK Jr's name from the ballot. However, they still want him removed from the… pic.twitter.com/InoZ6LqKqX

— George (@BehizyTweets) August 27, 2024

Let’s look a little closer at the situation in Michigan regarding RFK Jr’s ballot fight.  On first glance it might seem like the state officials’ hands are tied — after all, that’s just what the law says, right?  Let’s get a little context.  According to an NBC story on the issue:

Kennedy is on the ballot in Michigan as a candidate for the Natural Law Party, which nominated him at its convention this year. Cheri Hardmon, a spokesperson for the Michigan secretary of state’s office, confirmed that “minor party candidates cannot withdraw, so his name will remain on the ballot in the November election.”

So is this actually just a question of “like it or not, that’s the law”?  I might believe that, except for the fact that officials in Michigan just tried, and failed, to ILLEGALLY remove another candidate from the ballot!  (Hypocritical, much?)

Let’s harken back to a little more news that broke Saturday.  It seems that Michigan has already been at the heart of this election “battle ground” with legal wrangling over who can, and cannot, show up on the ballot.  Independent presidential candidate Cornel West has apparently survived an attempt to have him removed by Michigan’s Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson. Via our friends at Fox News:

Judge James Robert Redford issued the ruling days after West and his running mate, activist Melina Abdullah, were kicked off the ballot earlier this month due to technical issues.

The Michigan Bureau of Elections had notified West’s campaign of the discrepancies in an August 16 letter. The campaign responded by arguing that the Michigan Democratic Party was weaponizing technicalities in an effort to remove West from the ballot.

“We are confident that these accusations will be seen for what they are—frivolous and unfounded attempts to stifle opposition and debate,” campaign spokesman Edwin DeJesus told the Michigan Public Radio Network.

But now, all of the sudden, it’s all about “the law”?  Not sure I’m buying that.  Pretty sure I’m not.  And if you wonder about the personality behind this ongoing fight in Michigan, please watch the following short video.

This is the person behind the illegal (and now, reinstated) removal of Cornel West from the Michigan ballot (because his name will hurt Kamala Harris), and yet who is now adamant that THE LAW MUST BE FOLLOWED in keeping RFK Jr. on the ballot (against his will!) also for the possible but unlikely chance that he hurts President Trump in Michigan, and helps Kamala Harris.  I give you… Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson:

This is Michigan’s Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson

She’s refusing to remove RFK Jr. from the ballot after he suspended his campaign and endorsed Trump

She’s also the woman that sought to remove Cornel West — who hurts Kamala — from the ballot

She is a complete partisan hack pic.twitter.com/tOkR0DxCIc

— johnny maga (@_johnnymaga) August 27, 2024

And while we’re on the subject, here’s Joe Biden awarding the same Jocelyn Benson The Presidential Citizens Medal.  Why?  For “protecting the integrity of elections”, ofcourse. (Sarcasm intended.)

MI Sec of State Jocelyn Benson:

– Refuses to remove RFK Jr from the ballot
– Tried to remove Cornel West from the ballot
– Opened an investigation into Musk-backed, pro-Trump PAC
– Awarded The Presidential Citizens Medal by Biden for “protecting the integrity of elections” in… pic.twitter.com/ACoZZ0WIFc

— Western Lensman (@WesternLensman) August 27, 2024

But again, not to be outdone, let’s turn our attention back to Wisconsin.  From the above referenced NBC News story:

In Wisconsin, the state election commission met Tuesday to certify ballot access for presidential and vice presidential candidates. Even though Kennedy asked to withdraw his nomination petition as an independent candidate, the commission voted to decline the request, according to an archived video of the proceedings published by WisconsinEye, a nonprofit public affairs network.

“The statute literally says, ‘Any person who files nomination papers and qualifies to appear on the ballot may not decline nomination. The name of that person shall appear upon the ballot except in case of death of the person,'” Ann Jacobs, the chair of the commission, told another commissioner struggling with the idea of keeping someone on the ballot who didn’t want to move forward with his or her candidacy.

In reality, it is questionable whether RFK Jr’s name on the Wisconsin ballot will impact the results in November.  For one thing, he is no longer actively campaigning for president and has directed his supporters to vote for President Trump.  The majority of his votes were likely to come from more Trump-leaning voters to begin with.

As he said Friday when he announced that he would drop out and endorse President Trump, “In about 10 battleground states where my presence would be a spoiler, I’m going to remove my name, and I’ve already started that process and urge voters not to vote for me.”

Nevertheless, the hypocritical handling of these legalities at the state level by partisan office holders is very telling, in my mind.  The stakes could not be higher.  Conservatives should not underestimate the lengths to which Progressives will go to hurt President Trump’s chance of victory come November — by any means necessary.

No doubt the “battle ground” fight will rage on, right up to election day.