A super PAC supporting Vice President Kamala Harris is taking action to prevent Robert F. Kennedy Jr. from gaining ballot access in Pennsylvania, a crucial battleground state. The super PAC, Clear Choice PAC, which consists of Democrats focused on limiting third-party ballot access, is backing a challenge against Kennedy's campaign. The challenge, filed by two voters, alleges that Kennedy's petition-collecting methods violate Pennsylvania's laws.
The crux of the argument put forth by Clear Choice PAC is that the signatures on Kennedy's petitions demonstrate a blatant disregard for the proper circulation process and the state's legal requirements. They claim that the formatting of Kennedy's submitted petitions indicates an intentional effort to obscure the true nature of the signature collection process, with numerous alleged irregularities among the signatures gathered.
Furthermore, Clear Choice PAC asserts that Kennedy's listing of a New York address as his residency, despite actually residing in Los Angeles, was a deliberate attempt to mislead Pennsylvania voters. This residency discrepancy is also central to Clear Choice's objection to Kennedy's ballot access in New York, a matter currently under review by a New York state court.
Kennedy's campaign submitted the signatures for ballot access back in June, with the deadline for external groups to challenge independent candidate petitions falling on Thursday. The situation underscores the intense scrutiny and legal maneuvering that often accompanies the process of securing ballot access in key electoral states.