A New York judge ruled Monday that independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. cannot appear on that state’s ballot because he did not provide a legitimate address on his petition.
Judge Christina Ryba wrote in her ruling that the address listed on Kennedy’s nominating petition “was not Kennedy's bona fide and legitimate residence, but merely a ‘sham’ address that he assumed for the purpose of maintaining his voter registration and furthering his own political aspirations” in New York.
The court found that Kennedy has a pattern of “borrowing addresses from friends and relatives” while actually living in California.
“Using a friend's address for political and voting purposes, while barely stepping foot on the premises, does not equate to residency under the Election Law,” Ryba wrote. “To hold otherwise would establish a dangerous precedent and open the door to the fraud and political mischief that the Election Law residency rules were designed to prevent.”
In a statement, the Kennedy campaign condemned the ruling and vowed to appeal.
The campaign said the ruling came “in spite of the fact that Kennedy is registered to vote in New York,” pays taxes in New York and has various state licenses — including a driver’s license, law license “and his falconry license.”
“The Democrats are showing contempt for democracy,” Kennedy said in a statement. “They aren’t confident they can win at the ballot box, so they are trying to stop voters from having a choice. We will appeal and we will win.”
The latest NPR/PBS News/Marist poll shows that voters have started moving away from third party and independent candidates after Vice President Harris entered the race and has been slated to be the Democratic nominee. The poll showed Kennedy’s support is down to just 5%.
The Kennedy campaign has said it plans to appear on the ballot in all 50 states — a costly and difficult logistical undertaking that has rarely been accomplished by an independent presidential candidate. Besides the cost of gathering hundreds of thousands of signatures across the country, one of the main costs are the various legal challenges filed against and by the candidate.
Campaign officials have said they expect challenges from both parties as the election nears, but Kennedy says the Democratic National Committee in particular has been working to keep him off ballots.
“The DNC has become a party that uses lawfare in place of the democratic election process,” he said in a statement.
DNC spokesperson Matt Corridoni said in a statement following the New York ruling, that Kennedy is a “troubled, reckless, and dangerous man.”
“He doesn’t think the rules apply to him and he refuses to consider the consequences of his actions,” he said.
This ruling could ultimately potentially affect Kennedy's ability to get on other state ballots, since Kennedy used this New York address in other petitions as well.
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