RFK Jr.’s VP pick comes amid a big, difficult ballot access push

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is set to announce his running mate this month as he wages a long-shot independent bid for president. And the timing is no accident — his decision is set to come as he needs a running mate to qualify for the ballot in a majority of states, with some of their filing deadlines coming up soon.

Kennedy is attempting to qualify for the ballot in all 50 states, and at least 26 of them require him to file his nomination papers with a running mate named, according to an NBC News analysis of state ballot access requirements.

Qualifying for each state’s ballot is a daunting enterprise that could cost millions of dollars and requires gathering more than 900,000 signatures nationwide.

The campaign has estimated the effort could cost $15 million. Kennedy’s campaign had just over $4.8 million in its account at the end of January, according to a fundraising report filed with the Federal Election Commission. Meanwhile, ballot access deadlines are also fast approaching. They have already passed in North Carolina, Utah and Idaho.

Kennedy’s campaign has said it has gathered enough signatures to qualify for the ballot in Utah, as well as New Hampshire, Nevada and Hawaii. The campaign is starting to gather signatures in Texas, as well.

The pro-Kennedy super PAC American Values 2024 announced this week that it would stop collecting signatures on Kennedy’s behalf but said it had collected more than enough to place him on the ballot in Arizona, Michigan, Georgia and South Carolina. However, some petition signatures usually get invalidated when they are turned in and checked by election officials, which is why campaigns and other groups often try to gather more than the minimum.

There’s another twist: Although the