RFK Jr. must remain on the Michigan ballot, judge says

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — A Michigan judge ruled that Robert F. Kennedy Jr. must remain on the November presidential ballot, dealing a blow to his crusade to strategically remove his ticket from the battleground state.

Kennedy suspended his campaign and endorsed former President Donald Trump in August. Since then, he has sought to withdraw his name in states — like Michigan — where the race could be close. At the same time, he is trying to remain on the ballot in states where he is unlikely to make a difference between Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris.

Kennedy filed a lawsuit Friday in Michigan’s Court of Claims against Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, a Democrat, in an effort to withdraw his name. Michigan’s election officials had previously rejected Kennedy’s notice of withdrawal.

The Associated Press asked the secretary’s office for comment on the Court of Claims order that came down Tuesday.

In a post on X earlier in the day, Benson said under Michigan law, candidates who are nominated and accept a minor party’s nomination “shall not be permitted to withdraw.”

Kennedy argued in the lawsuit that his notice of withdrawal was timely and the electorate’s votes could be “diminished and rendered invalid” if he remains on the ballot. He filed a similar lawsuit in North Carolina on Friday, where he is trying to withdraw his name from the ballot.

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