Robert F. Kennedy Jr. petitions to get on NC ballot as independent presidential candidate

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., an environmental lawyer who has promoted anti-vaccine conspiracy theories, has filed a petition to run as an independent presidential candidate in North Carolina.

The petition, filed with the State Board of Elections on Nov. 1, would allow Kennedy to run in the general election if he gathers enough signatures.

Kennedy, the son of former U.S. Sen. Robert F. Kennedy and nephew of former President John F. Kennedy, initially entered the race as a Democratic primary opponent to President Joe Biden, but he announced last month that he would instead run as an independent.

“I’m coming here today to declare our independence from the journey of corruption, which robs us of affordable lives, our belief in the future and our respect for each other. But to do that, I must first declare my own independence, independence from the Democratic Party,” Kennedy told a crowd at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia.

Per state law, unaffiliated presidential candidates must gather signatures from 1.5% of voters who voted in the most recent gubernatorial election. That would be around 83,000 signatures this time around.

The petition campaign doesn’t have any signatures uploaded to the board of elections’ database so far. The campaign has until the day of the primary elections, March 5, to meet the signature requirement.

Kennedy’s campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The News & Observer on Thursday.

Despite initially running as a Democrat, Kennedy made several appearances with far-right figures, such as conspiracy theorist Alex Jones. He has frequently voiced opposition to COVID-19 vaccines and chaired an anti-vaccine organization called Children’s Health Defense.

Several of Kennedy’s siblings put out a statement opposing his campaign last month.

“The decision of our brother Bobby to run as a third party candidate against Joe Biden is dangerous to our country,” the statement read. “Bobby might share the same name as our father, but he does not share the same values, vision or judgment.”