Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has officially qualified for the ballot in Texas, as confirmed by the Texas Secretary of State’s office on Thursday.
In a significant display of support, the Kennedy campaign submitted an impressive 245,000 signatures to the Texas Secretary of State back in May. Kennedy and his running mate Nicole Shanahan personally delivered the signatures to the state’s elections office in Austin, showcasing the campaign's robust signature-gathering operation. Texas is known for having one of the largest signature thresholds in the country for independent candidates.
Following a thorough review, Texas Director of Elections Christina Adkins notified the Kennedy campaign via a letter that Kennedy had met the requirements to appear on the ballot in November. The petition contained 122,513 valid signatures, surpassing the 113,151 signatures needed for qualification.
Despite some opposition, including a letter from Texas Democrats in July urging the Secretary of State’s office to reject Kennedy’s petition due to alleged violations of state laws on signature formatting guidelines, the campaign persevered and successfully secured a spot on the ballot.
With Texas now on board, Kennedy has achieved ballot access in a total of 16 states. In addition to Texas, he has gained entry into New Jersey, Vermont, Michigan, North Carolina, Colorado, New Mexico, Tennessee, Minnesota, South Carolina, Oklahoma, Delaware, California, Nebraska, Hawaii, and Utah.
As a result of his ballot access in multiple states, Kennedy is now eligible for 212 electoral college votes, further solidifying his position as a viable independent candidate in the upcoming presidential election.
