Staff Reports
Hold onto your hats, folks, because Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has decided to crash the Pennsylvania political party, filing the paperwork to get on the November ballot in the swing state. Six weeks ahead of the August 1 deadline, Kennedy’s move has set off alarm bells in the Biden and Trump camps, who both fear the effects of a rogue candidate in this tight race. Pennsylvania’s 19 electoral votes are nothing to scoff at, given the state’s history of swinging between red and blue like a political pendulum on steroids.
Kennedy’s quest for 5,000 registered voter signatures to appear on the ballot seems like a walk in the park compared to the legal circus that might follow. After the paperwork submission, both Biden and Trump’s operatives are poised to pounce with court challenges. Legal eagles have until August 8 to cry foul, and anyone familiar with American politics knows that lawsuits are about as rare as a unicorn at a congressional hearing.
RFK Jr. campaign files petitions to get on presidential ballot in swing-state Pennsylvania https://t.co/3R6wE11ZHx pic.twitter.com/NPpwpKFFCo
— political world (@politicalxnews) June 21, 2024
It’s not exactly a state secret that Pennsylvania is a battleground worth fighting for. Trump managed to snag it in 2016 with a slim 44,000-vote lead over Hillary Clinton, while Biden turned the tables in 2020 with an 81,000-vote victory. So when Kennedy, who’s famous for his environmental activism and anti-vaccine stance, decided to ditch his Democratic primary challenge to Biden and run as an independent, he didn’t just throw a wrench into the works; he tossed a whole toolbox.
Let’s not forget the third-party surprise party from past elections. In 2016, Libertarian Gary Johnson, Green Jill Stein, and Constitutionalist Darrell Castle cobbled together nearly 190,000 votes. Libertarian Jo Jorgensen added some flavor in 2020 with over 79,000 votes. Those minor party candidates might have been mosquitoes on the electoral windshield, but Kennedy? He’s more like a full-grown deer in the headlights.
Kennedy claims he’s got enough signatures to get on the ballot in 22 states, covering 310 electoral votes, although not every state has double-checked that claim. So, as Kennedy revs up his campaign engine, Biden and Trump need to brace themselves. The road to the White House just got a whole lot bumpier
