WASHINGTON, D.C. – Last week, as Democrats joyfully unified behind Vice President Kamala Harris, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. ended the will-he-won’t-he saga by announcing he would “suspend” his campaign and pledge his support to Donald Trump. The failed third-party candidate is removing himself from the ballot in some (but not all) battleground states. The endorsement was in exchange for a leading public health role at an agency like the National Institutes of Health or the Department of Health and Human Services, which would be a disaster for our public health.
The news isn’t going over well with many RFK Jr. supporters. Can’t say we’re surprised, considering RFK Jr. spent months bashing Trump—which we highlighted on mobile billboards outside both Trump and RFK Jr.’s Friday events in Arizona:
DOWNLOAD GETTY IMAGES HERE
While RFK Jr. dropping out is an important development in helping Vice President Harris secure the White House, there are other third-party candidates who still pose a risk to her chances.
In Arizona, Cornel West’s team was clocked including fraudulent signatures on his slate of electors. When contacted, one elector claimed she never agreed to be one, and she didn’t even know what an elector was—suggesting a deep level of coordination between the West campaign and Trump’s allies.
West also lost a legal challenge in Pennsylvania last week, with the court deciding he lacked the required affidavits for 14 of his 19 presidential electors and therefore could not be on the presidential ballot come November. However, on Saturday, a Michigan judge overturned a decision blocking West from the state’s ballot. West currently remains on the ballot in Michigan, North Carolina, and Maine.
More happenings from third-party candidates:
###
MoveOn is celebrating 25 years of people-powered progress this year. For more than a generation, MoveOn has built independent political power and mobilized the left to elect Democrats and enact progressive change. MoveOn is a bulwark against the radical right, channeling our collective voices to drive progressive foreign policy, protect democracy, and advance justice for all.