With a Win in North Carolina, Kennedy Gets Eighth Legal Ballot Access Victory

By Nikos Biggs-Chiropolos, The Kennedy Beacon

In addition to completing all signature requirements for ballot access, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has had to fight legal battles in order to get on all 50 state ballots, plus Washington DC. He has won eight cases so far and has six more pending as of the date of this article.

These tedious, money-draining, time-consuming legal challenges stem from the Democratic Party, which is waging lawfare against third party candidates. Their targets include independent presidential candidate Kennedy, Cornel West, and candidates from minor parties such as the Green and Libertarian Parties.

In response to numerous legal actions against his ballot access drive, Kennedy has responded by saying, “The DNC has become a party that uses lawfare in place of the democratic election process.” “Lawfare” is the unethical abuse of the legal system in order to harm political opponents.

Fearing their candidates are too weak to win elections when voters have multiple choices, the Democrats have instead resorted to all-out attacks via this strategy. The Kennedy Beacon has already investigated the team of legal experts the Democrats hired to go after Kennedy and reported how they have previously targeted Green Party candidates. Most recently, we have described how their legal action PAC called Clear Choice Action spearheads these lawsuits.

Yet, the law remains on Kennedy’s side; the DNC-aligned groups have not been successful in keeping him off any state ballot. 

The latest of Kennedy’s victories came in North Carolina, where local news reported on August 12 that Kennedy’s party, We The People, will remain on the state’s ballot as a presidential candidate for the general election. 

The other seven legal victories to date have come in Hawaii, Idaho, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, Texas, and Utah, as reported in the Beacon. The dizzying pace at which new lawsuits are being filed in so many different states shows how committed the Democrats are to lawfare that undermines the democratic process.  

As fast as he wins them, new cases are quickly filed. 

Just in the last week, challenges were filed in Maine, Pennsylvania, and Washington. The challenger in Maine withdrew their complaint for no apparent reason two days later, although more challenges from the Democrats are almost certain to come.

The other cases pending are in Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, and another case in New York, all of which focus on trivial allegations. For example, the Washington case quibbles over where the 4,181 signatures (more than four times the number required) of the We the People party members were collected, while the Illinois case spuriously claims that the majority of signatures Kennedy’s campaign obtained should be invalidated in order to exhaust Kennedy’s legal resources.

While Robert Lenhard, one of the Democratic Party’s top lawyers, told The New York Times that their intent is to make sure everyone is “playing by the rules,” Kennedy’s winning record indicates that he, not the Democratic Party, is the one doing so.

Supporters of fair ballot access for all minor parties and independents are prepared to assist in the legal defense against DNC attacks. The legal fees and time-consuming nature of litigation drains candidates bank accounts and impedes their ability to campaign. Theresa Amato, with More Voter Choice, a recently formed national nonprofit established to defend minor parties and independents, told the Beacon: 

Clear Choice Action masquerades their lawsuit filings and interference in election board proceedings around the country by pretending to ensure 'ballot integrity,' while they are really trying to deny third party and Independent voters their preferred choice for President. Yesterday, More Voter Choice stopped these electoral bullies and others from throwing Dr. Cornel West and his "Justice for All Party" off the North Carolina ballot in federal court, and stopped the North Carolina Democratic Party from throwing Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and his "We the People" party off the North Carolina ballot in state court in two separate lawsuits. 

Although Kennedy is winning the legal battles, the mainstream press disparages his campaign. The New York Times calls Kennedy a “spoiler” candidate and Politico theorizes that he could “doom” the Democrats.

Nevertheless, with Kennedy’s campaign clearing the hurdles for ballot access in nearly every state to date, and with the legal victories maintaining his spot on the ballot continuing to prevail, the independent candidate moves steadily closer to appearing on the ballot in all 50 states this November.