Shawn Griffiths
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.
“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.