RFK Jr. qualifies for first presidential ballot in Utah

CNN —

Independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will appear on the presidential ballot in Utah after formally filing with the state’s elections office on Wednesday, his campaign’s first step in an uphill battle to appear on the ballot in every state as part of his longshot White House bid.

Utah is the first state the Kennedy campaign has successfully filed to put his name on the ballot and has been a central focus of the campaign in recent weeks as it fleshes out its strategy to put Kennedy on the ballot in all 50 states and Washington, DC. The campaign’s audacious ballot access goal matches its optimism that Kennedy can make history as the only independent presidential candidate to win an election since the Democratic and Republican parties were founded.

Kennedy thanked campaign staff and volunteers shortly after filing his petition at the Utah State Capitol in Salt Lake City for helping gather the 1,000 signatures required for independent candidates to file for ballot access in the state. The Salt Lake County Clerk’s office verified the campaign’s signatures last week.

“I have a lot of ties to this state, I love this state, and I’m very, very grateful for the role that these volunteers and the people of the state have played in this election process,” Kennedy said.

Kennedy also thanked Utah Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson, who the campaign sued last month to extend the filing window past the state’s original deadline of January 8. The state ultimately agreed to move the deadline to March, but Kennedy praised the volunteers who gathered signatures for meeting the state’s original deadline regardless.

“These volunteers went out and beat the clock anyhow,” Kennedy said. “And we got them on time, and we got them in