Robert F. Kennedy Jr. ended his longshot campaign last month and threw his support to Donald Trump, but his name will still appear on ballots in some battleground states and could pose a risk for the former president, according to a report.
The independent candidate vowed when he withdrew that he would seek to have his name removed from ballots in critical swing states. But officials told the Hill that he will likely remain on ballots in Michigan, North Carolina and Wisconsin on Nov. 5.
"If a candidate is on the ballot, someone will vote for them regardless," Christopher Thrasher, a ballot access consultant who analyzes third-party campaigns, told the publication. "The primaries showed as much this year on both sides. How many votes is anyone's guess at this point."
Polls revealed Kennedy pulling support from Trump before he ended his campaign as Republicans have a more favorable view of the former third-party candidate than Democrats.
The GOP celebrated Kennedy's entrance into the race, believing the scion of the storied liberal Kennedy clan would drain Democratic votes from President Joe Biden and later Vice President Kamala Harris.
When he withdrew, Kennedy, 70, showed his loyalty to Trump by pledging to remove his name from the ballots while keeping it on those in blue states.
Team Trump saw that as a "win-win," the Hill reported.
By keeping his name on the ballot in those states, he keeps pressure on the Harris campaign that some Democratic voters would choose him and it ensures that Democrats would have to play defense and divert cash there that they would spend in battleground states, the Hill reported.
"He will now counter-attack the Democratic Party and force them to spend money on states they weren't counting in states like New York, California, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Illinois, Washington," a source familiar with Kennedy's strategy told the Hill.
Trump "will spend literally no money at all on it," the person said. "The Democrats are going to be screwed and have to spend extra money."
Yet the problem persists that Kennedy's name on some key ballots could also jeopardize Trump's chances.
"Wisconsin and Michigan have clear statutes that prevent nominees from withdrawing," Thrasher said.
The Kennedy team is preparing to make a push among their base for Trump.
"Bobby is going to clearly articulate to his supporters in those states to vote MAGA," the Hill quoted a source close to Kennedy's campaign.
But Kennedy's decision to wait until late in the campaign season to step aside added to the complications.
"If the merger had happened earlier they would've had more time to get off the ballots," the source added.
A Republican strategist told the Hill it is imperative for Kennedy to get the word out to negate the potential harm of the swing state ballots.
"This has happened before, and while it's suboptimal, it's not insurmountable," said conservative campaign adviser Nicole Schlinger. "As long as more of those supporters go to Trump than Harris, which they will, it's a win."
