RFK Jr. fails to qualify for the first presidential debate

McKenna Jensen
·2 min read
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Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. smiles while speaking during a press conference at the East Senate Building at the Capitol in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, Jan. 3, 2024. Kennedy discussed his ballot status in Utah, the first state where the campaign submitted signatures.
Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. smiles while speaking during a press conference at the East Senate Building at the Capitol in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, Jan. 3, 2024. Kennedy discussed his ballot status in Utah, the first state where the campaign submitted signatures. | Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News
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Time has run out for independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to qualify for CNN’s June 27 presidential debate in Atlanta.

The network announced Thursday that the historic debate would be between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump while Kennedy fell short of qualification benchmarks. According to parameters set by CNN, Kennedy failed to secure a place on state ballots totaling at least 270 Electoral College votes and did not reach at least 15% support in four separate national polls.

Kennedy, backed by his famous family name and his reputation as an environmental lawyer, is confirmed to be on the ballot in Utah, Delaware, Oklahoma, Michigan, and Tennessee, according to The Washington Post.

According to The Guardian, CNN also counted Kennedy as a nominee of minor parties in California and Hawaii. Those states total 100 electoral votes, missing the mark to qualify for the debate.

The other requirement Kennedy failed to meet was the polling threshold. According to CBS News, Kennedy fell short in one national poll, claiming only three qualifying polls with 15% support.

The missed opportunity denies Kennedy the opportunity of confronting the leading presidential candidates and of the chance to be in front of a large national audience. According to The New York Times, “More than 73 million people watched the first debate between Mr. Biden and Mr. Trump in 2020 ... .”

The Associated Press reported on a released statement where Kennedy called his rejection from the debate “undemocratic, un-American, and cowardly.”

The New York Times reported, the last time a third-party presidential candidate reached the debate stage was in 1992. Texas billionaire Ross Perot’s self-funded independent campaign made its way to the debate stage against President George H.W. Bush and Gov. Bill Clinton.

Kennedy has issued a complaint with the Federal Election Commission suggesting CNN has conspired with the leading candidates to keep him from debating, according to The Hill.

“Presidents Biden and Trump do not want me on the stage, and CNN illegally agreed to their demand,” Kennedy said, per the Times.

The second presidential debate will be hosted by ABC on Sept. 10, two months before the November election.