RFK Jr. rules out idea of securing Libertarian Party nomination for 2024 presidential election

04/17/2024 / By Ramon Tomey

Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (RFK Jr.) has ruled out the possibility of seeking the Libertarian Party’s nomination in the 2024 presidential election.

According to 100 Percent Fed Up, the nephew of the late President John F. Kennedy had initially considered the party’s nomination to ensure ballot access in all 50 states. But during an interview with ABC News at an Iowa campaign event, RFK Jr. expressed confidence that his name will appear on the ballot across America in time for Election Day.

“We’re not [going to] have any problems getting on the ballot ourselves, so we won’t be running Libertarian,” he said. “We’re going to add probably two to three states a week.”

The younger Kennedy’s campaign team also confirmed the decision to The Hill, telling the outlet on April 14: “[RFK Jr.] has many areas of alignment with the Libertarian Party, including a strong stance on civil liberties and keeping the country out of foreign wars. However, [he] is not contemplating joining the Libertarian ticket. He is running as an independent candidate and will be on the ballot in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.”

“There are several people running for the Libertarian nomination, and just about any of them would represent us better than [RFK Jr.] would,” said Spike Cohen, the founder and president of liberty-oriented activist network You Are The Power. He later took to X to elaborate on his remarks.

“The only reason [RFK Jr.] ever considered the [Libertarian] nomination is for ballot access. It’s ridiculous that candidates need to fight so hard just to give voters the option to vote for them,” Cohen wrote.

“When the country was founded, the ballots simply had the positions that were up for election, and then a blank line next to them where you’d write the name of who you were voting for. We should go back to that. Elections are rigged, [and] this would help un-rig them.”

RFK Jr. earlier floated the idea of running as a Libertarian

According to The Hill, RFK Jr. “switched from a Democratic to independent ticket last fall.” The reason for his switch was the Democratic National Committee’s decision to back President Joe Biden in his race for a second term, at the expense of the party’s other candidates.

Meanwhile, ABC News reported that the Libertarian Party voiced concern about Silicon Valley attorney Nicole Shanahan, RFK Jr.’s pick for vice president. Angela McArdle ultimately said she would not comment for “at least a few days” as to the latest development.

In late January, The Hill‘s Hanna Trudo reported about RFK Jr.’s potential run with the Libertarian Party. She cited the independent candidate’s interview with CNN host Michael Smerconish at the time. According to the founder of Children’s Health Defense, he is well regarded among the Libertarian Party’s top leadership. (Related: RFK Jr. reportedly considering running under Libertarian Party to boost chances of gaining nationwide ballot access.)

“That’s something that we’re looking at,” the independent candidate said. “We have a really good relationship with the Libertarian Party.”

Smerconish also played a podcast interview with McArdle, where she attested to the strong ties between RFK Jr. and her party. According to the Libertarian Party chairwoman, her party and the independent candidate had been having “a lot of good conversations” and were “on good terms.”

“I respect his decision to want to go independent,” McArdle said on the podcast. “But Libertarians really admire [his] strong position against [vaccine] mandates and lockdowns. So we’re going to stay on friendly terms and see what happens.”

Visit RFKJr.news for more stories about the independent candidate ahead of the 2024 election.

Watch RFK Jr. explaining to Bill O’Reilly that President Joe Biden is “worse for democracy” than his predecessor Donald Trump.

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