The battle lines have been drawn. And not everyone is happy with the outcome.
Because an unexpected name on the ballot completely disrupts this battleground state.
Just days after Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced he was suspending his independent presidential campaign and requested to be removed from key state ballots, the Wisconsin Elections Commission (WEC) decided to keep his name on the state’s general election ballot.
In a letter sent to the WEC on Friday, Kennedy asked for his name to be taken off the ballot.
However, the commission, which is evenly split between three Democrats and three Republicans, voted 5-1 on Tuesday to approve the placement of Kennedy and two other candidates on the ballot, according to WKOW.
A subsequent motion to remove Kennedy from the ballot resulted in a 3-3 deadlock, effectively keeping him on the ticket.
The commission cited state law, which prohibits candidates from declining their nomination after officially filing for ballot access.
Democratic elections commission member Mark Thompson didn’t mince words, saying, “We know Trump and Kennedy are playing games,” according to the Associated Press.
“Whatever games they’re playing, they have to play them with Kennedy on the ballot.”
Independent candidate Cornel West and Green Party candidate Jill Stein also secured spots on the Wisconsin ballot after overcoming legal challenges to their candidacies.
On Monday, the Wisconsin Supreme Court rejected Democratic efforts to remove Stein from the ballot, a move that recalls how she was accused of siphoning votes from Hillary Clinton in 2016. Trump won Wisconsin that year by a slim margin of just over 22,000 votes.
This decision by the WEC comes shortly after Michigan’s Democratic Secretary of State, Jocelyn Benson, stated that Kennedy must also remain on Michigan’s general election ballot.
This ruling means that the Democrat-turned-independent candidate could potentially influence the vote counts for both Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump in two critical swing states.
Last week, Kennedy endorsed Trump and announced his intention to withdraw his name from ballots in “10 battleground states,” expressing concern that he might become a “spoiler” in the election.
After suspending his 2024 campaign, Kennedy lashed out at his former party, stating, “In the name of saving democracy, the Democratic Party set itself to dismantling it, lacking confidence in its candidate, that its candidate could win in a fair election at the voting booth, the DNC waged continual legal warfare against both President Trump and myself.”
Wisconsin and Michigan are poised to play pivotal roles in the upcoming 2024 presidential election.
Trump’s narrow victories in both states were crucial to his 2016 win, while Biden’s success in the same states helped secure his 2020 victory.
Whoever prevails in Wisconsin and Michigan in 2024 will have a significantly clearer path to the 270 electoral votes needed to claim the presidency.
Stay tuned to the DC Daily Journal.
