Robert F. Kennedy Jr. might stay on Iowa's ballot despite dropping out of presidential race
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has suspended his presidential bid, but he may still appear on Iowans' ballots this fall.
Kennedy, who was running as a candidate for the We The People party, suspended his campaign on Friday and endorsed former President Donald Trump.
In his remarks announcing the decision, Kennedy said he would remove his name from the ballot in about 10 battleground states "where my presence would be a spoiler." In some states, like Arizona and Pennsylvania, he is already off the ballot.
More: RFK Jr. suspends campaign; endorses former President Trump
But Kennedy's name could still appear on Iowa's ballot. Ashley Hunt, a spokesperson for Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate, said that as of Friday afternoon the office had not received a notice that Kennedy would be withdrawing his name.
The deadline for candidates to withdraw from Iowa's general election ballot is Aug. 29. Any candidates who withdraw prior to that date will not be on the ballot, Hunt said. The state will certify general election ballots on Sept. 3.
Kennedy originally challenged President Joe Biden last year, running as a Democrat, before leaving the party and founding the We The People party.
To fulfill Iowa's ballot access requirement for independent presidential candidates, he held an event in April in West Des Moines where he identified more than 500 eligible electors from at least 25 Iowa counties. As of Friday afternoon, the Iowa secretary of state's office still includes Kennedy and his running mate, Nicole Shanahan, on its list of presidential and vice presidential candidates.
Iowans can request a ballot beginning Aug. 27, but county auditors won't begin mailing out ballots until Oct. 16, the first day of early voting.
The election is Nov. 5.
Here's who will appear on Iowans' ballots for president and vice president this fall.
Donald J. Trump/JD Vance (Republican)
Kamala Harris/Tim Walz (Democrat)
Chase Oliver/Mike ter Maat (Libertarian)
Claudia De la Cruz/Karina Garcia (Party For Socialism and Liberation)
William P. Stodden/Stephanie H. Cholensky (Socialist Party USA)
Robert F. Kennedy Jr./Nicole Shanahan (We The People)
Stephen Gruber-Miller covers the Iowa Statehouse and politics for the Register. He can be reached by email at [email protected] or by phone at 515-284-8169. Follow him on Twitter at @sgrubermiller.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: RFK Jr. suspends campaign; could still be on Iowa ballot