COLUMBIA, S.C. (WCIV) — Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a candidate for president and a member of the famed Kennedy family, announced Friday that his campaign gained November ballot access in South Carolina.
Kennedy and Nicole Shanahan were nominated for president and vice president by the Alliance Party of South Carolina.
“I proudly accept the Alliance Party’s nomination for president of the United States,” Kennedy said. “Their leadership and members have demonstrated an inspiring commitment to values that revitalize our representative democracy.”
READ MORE | "RFK Jr. tries to jam his way onto debate stage with Biden and Trump."
Already, the Kennedy-Shanahan ticket is on the ballot in eight states: Utah, Michigan, California, Delaware, Oklahoma, Hawaii, Texas and now South Carolina. It has collected signatures for ballot access in nine other states: — New Hampshire, Nevada, North Carolina, Idaho, Nebraska, Iowa, Ohio, New Jersey, and New York.
The Kennedy-Shanahan campaign has collected the signatures needed for ballot access in 17 states, totaling 238 electoral votes, 44% of the 538 total electoral votes nationwide.
Kennedy has billed himself as a viable opt-out option for voters disgruntled with President Joe Biden, the incumbent and presumptive Democrat nominee, and former President Donald Trump, a convicted felon and presumptive Republican nominee.
“After thoroughly reviewing Presidents Biden and Trump’s past performance in office, their platforms, and their extremely narrow, ultra-partisan view of how democracy should be allowed to work to benefit all Americans, we believe Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. to be the only logical choice for president,” said Jim Rex, former South Carolina State Superintendent of Education and national chair emeritus of the Alliance Party.
READ MORE | "Robert F. Kennedy Jr. challenges Donald Trump to debate at Libertarian Convention."
What is the Alliance Party?
Accepting the nomination from the Alliance Party ended Kennedy's bid to gain ballot access as a completely independent candidate in South Carolina. Kennedy had filed more than the 10,000 signatures needed to get on the ballot as an independent candidate in the Palmetto State.
The Alliance Party was formed in 2013, founded by Rex and physician Oscar Lovelace as an alternative political option. It holds the position of a centrist party, pushing to end partisanship and put "people" over politics, according to the party website.
Its values are vague, listing responsibility, fairness, integrity, civility, collaboration, issue-focused, and open-mindedness as its tenets. No Alliance Party member has been elected to office in the state.
READ MORE | "Voters are tired of hearing about the 2024 election with five months to go."
How is Kennedy polling?
Kennedy, the former environmentalist lawyer known to espouse conspiratorial theories, has used his famed name to pull a stronger contingent of support than any other third-party or independent candidate has in several election cycles.
In battleground states, Kennedy is polling around 10% of registered voters, according to a May poll conducted by The New York Times, Siena College and The Philadelphia Inquirer.
Kennedy polled strongest among voters under 30, with 18% support, and Latinos, 14%.
National polls remain unclear whether Kennedy presents a bigger threat to Biden or Trump.
At least 15 members of the Kennedy political family have endorsed Biden for president, according to The Associated Press.
The presidential election will be held on Tuesday, Nov. 5.
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7uLbAnKuvZpOkunC6xLCqaKaRqbawuoywpquklGS%2FsK7Eq6tmnl2gsq%2B6xJ2wZqKiYrSitc2sZKynpam1bq%2FAq6aloZ6WeqOty6WmrWWRmLCmv9JmoKdlkp6xbrLOq2SpqpWotqWxza1knZ2dpLCzrdNmqZ6opZe5qq%2FAp2Sjp5Vir6qwxKdknaeelrmledOrrKaoXaywqsKMmpmcZZ6axLR5k2ZpaWpkYrKtscKtoKimXaOyuL8%3D