Wisconsin Supreme Court says Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s name will remain on swing state’s ballot

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled Friday that Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s name will remain on the state’s presidential ballot, upholding a lower court’s ruling that candidates can only be removed from the ballot if they die.

The decision from the liberal-controlled court marks the latest twist in Kennedy’s quest to get his name off ballots in key battleground states where the race between Republican Donald Trump and Democratic nominee Kamala Harris is close. Kennedy’s attorney in Wisconsin, Joseph Bugni, declined to comment on the ruling.

The decision came after more than 418,000 absentee ballots have already been sent to voters. As of Thursday, nearly 28,000 had been returned, according to the Wisconsin Elections Commission.

Kennedy suspended his campaign in August and endorsed Trump. Earlier this month a divided North Carolina Supreme Court kept him off the ballot there while the Michigan Supreme Court reversed a lower court decision and kept him on.

Kennedy filed a lawsuit in Wisconsin on Sept. 3 seeking a court order removing him from the ballot. He argued that third-party candidates are discriminated against because state law treats them differently than Republicans and Democrats running for president.

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