RFK Jr. seeks ballot access in more states as NC Democrats push for removal; candidate ‘a threat’ to Dems in state, expert says

RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) – Robert F. Kennedy Junior’s campaign turned in signatures to try to gain access to the ballot in nine more states Monday as North Carolina Democrats seek to have him removed from the ballot in the Tar Heel State.

The state Democratic Party is suing the North Carolina State Board of Elections and the We the People Party, which the board voted earlier this month to formally recognize in this crucial battleground state. Kennedy will be the new party’s nominee for president.

“The Democratic Party clearly believes that RFK Jr. is a threat to their odds of winning the state of North Carolina,” said Chris Cooper, an expert on state politics at Western Carolina University. “They believe, correctly or incorrectly, that RFK Jr.’s votes would otherwise go to Kamala Harris. Joe Biden before and Kamala Harris now. So, they view this as a strategic move.”

In their lawsuit, Democrats accuse the Kennedy campaign of using “underhanded means” to get on the ballot in North Carolina.

The state requires an unaffiliated presidential candidate to obtain 83,188 valid signatures. However, a new party seeking formal recognition only needs 13,865.

Kennedy told CBS 17 earlier this year he was seeking to run as an independent before the campaign switched and sought recognition for the new party.

North Carolina is one of 13 states where Kennedy is officially on the ballot. The campaign has submitted signatures for consideration in 19 more states.

His campaign did not respond to a request for comment on the lawsuit.

A spokesperson for North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein, a Democrat running for governor, said his office will represent the state board in the matter.

Democrats are asking a Wake County judge to weigh in on the matter by Aug. 16 because of the looming deadline to print ballots. North Carolina is the first state in the country to begin sending ballots to voters by mail who request them.

“If the Board’s decision stands, North Carolina can expect a flood of candidates masquerading as political parties to follow this strategy in 2026 and beyond,” the lawsuit reads. Attorneys also point out the matter has an impact on campaign contributions and expenditures, as well.

Earlier this month the N.C. State Board of Elections, which has a Democratic majority, voted 4-1 to recognize the We the People Party.

Board Chairman Alan Hirsch said he was taking the vote “reluctantly” and suggested Kennedy had engaged in “subterfuge.”

Board member Siobhan Millen, a Democratic appointee, cast the sole vote against recognizing the party.

“This so-called party serves as nothing but a special purpose vehicle for Mr. Kennedy’s independent candidacy,” she said. “What is at play here is that North Carolina voters’ desire for political options is being cynically exploited to circumvent North Carolina law in order to put individual candidates on the ballot.”

Republicans in the General Assembly have criticized the board’s handling of requests by third parties to be recognized. They held a four-hour hearing last week, demanding answers from the board and suggesting Democrats on the board were seeking to help their party in the presidential race by limiting competition. The board voted to recognize the conservative Constitution Party weeks earlier.

The board voted not to recognize the Justice for All Party, which would nominate Cornel West for president. Hirsch said there is a fraud investigation underway regarding the signature gathering process for the party. Voters who signed that petition have sued the board. They’re being represented by attorneys who have worked with Republicans in previous election-related cases.

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