RFK Jr Defeats DNC Challenge in North Carolina to Appear on Ballot

RFK Jr
Photo by Gage Skidmore / Flickr. Creative commons license.
Shawn GriffithsShawn Griffiths
Published: 17 Jul, 2024
2 min read

Photo Credit: Gage Skidmore / Flickr

 

The North Carolina Board of Elections reversed an initial decision to deny independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s We The People party official status and ballot access ahead of November.

Kennedy's supporters started the party in a handful of states to help his nationwide ballot access strategy -- though it also nominated candidates in other races in North Carolina. 

State Democrats sent a letter to the Board of Elections, composed of a 3-2 Democratic majority, asking them to reject We The People's petitions for party status. They initially got what they wanted.

The board voted against We The People in June. However, members scheduled a meeting on July 9 to review this decision, and on July 16 announced We The People was officially a certified party. 

"We The People also will have candidates on ballots in November, which it chose during its June 2024 nominating convention," the board stated in a press release.

"They include Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Nicole Shanahan for president and vice president of the United States, Jeff Scott of Charlotte for N.C. Senate District 40, and Mark Ortiz of Kannapolis for Rowan County Commissioner, according to a letter from We The People, North Carolina."

This marks the second victory Kennedy's campaign has over Democratic-led challenges to his presidential bid.

IVP Donate

“I want to thank the thousands of volunteers and supporters in North Carolina who made this victory possible,” said Kennedy. “This shows that the DNC’s challenges are frivolous and we will defeat them all.”

He is officially on the ballot in 10 states — California, Delaware, Hawaii, Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Utah.

The news out of North Carolina comes as Republicans hold their national convention. Former President Donald Trump and his running mate, JD Vance, have officially received their party's nomination.

The DNC was expected to hold a virtual roll call vote near the end of July to formally nominate President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris for re-election. However, the party has delayed the vote.  

There are growing concerns among Democrats, including party leaders in Congress, over Biden's electability. According to a new ranked choice poll, if Biden were to withdraw, Harris would be the preferred candidate to replace him. 

You Might Also Like

Judge about to slower gavel.
Believe It or Not, There Is Still a 2024 Election That Hasn't Been Called
It may be hard to believe, but as of April 2025, there is still one election in the US from the last election cycle that has not been called: the 2024 North Carolina Supreme Court election between incumbent Democrat Justice Allison Riggs and Republican challenger Jefferson Griffin....
09 Apr, 2025
-
3 min read
businessman holding his hands to his face.
New Poll: Half of US Voters Say They Voted For 'Lesser of Two Evils' in 2024
Citizen Data polled US voters following the 2024 elections and found that nearly half (47%) said they cast their ballot, not for the candidate they supported the most, but for the candidate they determined was the 'lesser of two evils.'...
09 Dec, 2024
-
2 min read
Andrew Yang
Andrew Yang: Democrats Have Only Themselves to Blame
Former presidential candidate and Forward Party Founder Andrew Yang says that if Democratic leaders are looking for someone to blame for their 2024 loss, they need to take a hard look in the mirror....
11 Nov, 2024
-
2 min read
Will the Texas Republican Party be Successful Where the Hawaiian Democratic Party Failed?
Will the Texas Republican Party be Successful Where the Hawaiian Democratic Party Failed?
The Republican Party of Texas (RPT) is suing Secretary of State Jane Nelson in an effort to close the state’s primary elections to party members only – a move that the Democratic Party of Hawaii (DPH) tried back in 2013 in its state and failed. ...
05 Sep, 2025
-
3 min read
Supreme Court building.
Retired Attorney Takes Voting Rights Case All the Way to the Supreme Court -- By Himself
The next big voting rights case the Supreme Court of the United States could consider wasn’t filed by the ACLU, the League of Women Voters, Common Cause, or another household name when it comes to voter rights. ...
09 Sep, 2025
-
5 min read
congress flag
Poll: 82% of Americans Want Redistricting Done by Independent Commission, Not Politicians
There may be no greater indication that voters are not being listened to in the escalating redistricting war between the Republican and Democratic Parties than a new poll from NBC News that shows 8-in-10 Americans want the parties to stop....
10 Sep, 2025
-
3 min read