RFK Jr. Withdraws From Presidential Ballot in Wyoming

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has sought to remove his name from the ballot in key swing states to avoid drawing votes away from former President Trump.

Former independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. successfully removed his name from the November ballot in Wyoming, the Secretary of State’s office confirmed on Sept. 5.

Kennedy has sought to have his name removed in multiple states after suspending his campaign and endorsing former President Donald Trump.

Kennedy notified the Secretary of State’s Office that he intended to withdraw his name from the 2024 general election ballot in the state on Sept. 4, according to a press release.

His request was granted the following day.

“Following his notice of withdrawal, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will not appear on the ballot as a presidential candidate in Wyoming,” Secretary of State Chuck Gray said. “Our office is dedicated to providing continued, transparent service to the people of Wyoming.”

The environmental lawyer entered the presidential race as a Democrat in April 2023 but later announced he would run as an independent instead.

On Aug. 23, he suspended his campaign, citing “censorship, media blockade, and legal warfare that kept his message from reaching vast swaths of the electorate.”

Since suspending his campaign, Kennedy has sought to remove his name from the ballot in key swing states to avoid drawing votes away from Trump.

“In about 10 battleground states where my presence would be a spoiler, I will remove my name and urge voters not to vote for me,” he said last month.

He has sought to remain on the ballot in the majority of states in which he qualified, stating that he is less likely to impact the result.

On the same day that Kennedy’s name was withdrawn from the ballot in Wyoming, a Wake County judge ruled against his attempt to have his name removed from North Carolina presidential ballots.

Attorneys for Kennedy had filed a lawsuit accusing the North Carolina State Board of Elections (NCSBE) of causing him irreparable harm by refusing to remove his name from the ballot after an Aug. 28 vote.

Wake Superior Court Judge Rebecca Holt found that the harm Kennedy would suffer would be small compared to that facing the state Board of Elections, which would be forced to incur additional costs to reprint ballots and would likely miss the Sept. 6 deadline for mailing out the first absentee ballots.

North Carolina is slated to be the first state in the country to distribute fall election ballots.

The judge granted Kennedy a 24-hour stay to allow the state Court of Appeals to weigh in on the matter and said the ballots would need to be sent out at the end of the 24 hours unless the appellate court sides with Kennedy.

Earlier this week, a judge in Michigan ruled that Kennedy must also remain on the ballot there, while the Wisconsin Elections Commission voted 5–1 on Aug. 27 to keep his name on the ballot in the state, citing state law that says that once a candidate has filed for office, he or she must remain on the ballot unless he or she dies.

Tom Ozimek and The Associated Press contributed to this report.