Robert F. Kennedy Jr. qualifies for Texas ballot as an independent presidential candidate
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has submitted more than enough valid petition signatures to have his name on the Nov. 5 Texas ballot as an independent presidential candidate, the Texas Secretary of State's Office announced Thursday.
"After review, your application has been accepted. Your name will appear on the ballot for the 2024 General Election as an Independent candidate for the Office of President of the United States," Christina Worrell Adkins, the state's elections director, said in a letter to Kennedy, the nephew of the late President John F. Kennedy. "Nicole Shanahan will also appear on the ballot as the Vice-Presidential candidate."
According to state law, an independent candidate for president in 2024 must submit a petition with 113,151 signatures from Texans who are both registered to vote and did not vote in the March primary elections. Kennedy's petition contained 122,513 valid signatures, the Secretary of State's Office said.
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Kennedy and Shanahan were in Austin for a rally in May after they hand-delivered their petition signatures to the Texas Capitol. Kennedy, whose father, U.S. Sen. Robert Kennedy of New York, was gunned down in June 1968 while seeking the Democratic presidential nomination, invoked the imagery of his uncle and father during the Austin appearance and said it pained him to abandon the party of his family.
Many still-living members of the extended Kennedy family have made clear they do not support Kennedy's independent run for president.
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Robert F. Kennedy Jr. qualifies for Texas ballot as independent
