Flanked by volunteers at a campaign event on Wednesday in Salt Lake City, Kennedy announced he had filed for candidacy in the state that morning.
Utah is the first state where his campaign submitted signatures and qualified for ballot access, campaign spokeswoman Stefanie Spear said. She expects Arizona may be next.
Kennedy criticised the many barriers to ballot access for candidates not backed by a major political party, saying the requirements in some states make it almost impossible to challenge the “chokehold” that Republicans and Democrats have over US politics.
“This process is forcing us to build our army now,” he said. “And we’re going to have a better army on the street and in the trenches in November 2024.”
A scion of one of the nation’s most famous Democratic dynasties, the long-time environmental lawyer veered from the party last autumn and announced his independent bid for the White House. He is a son of former senator and US Attorney General Robert F Kennedy and a nephew of Democratic president John F Kennedy.
His success at gaining ballot access in Utah reignites questions of whether the independent could play spoiler for the eventual Democratic and Republican nominees. While it is unlikely that an independent or a third-party candidate would win the presidency, they could siphon support from the major candidates in a way that tips the scales.
Robert Kennedy Jnr says takes ‘precautions’ to avoid CIA assassination
Robert Kennedy Jnr says takes ‘precautions’ to avoid CIA assassination
In an increasingly polarised political climate, Kennedy is playing the middle, aligning with influential people on the far-right while touting his background as an environmentalist.
It is unclear in how many states he will qualify for ballot access. Each state sets its own requirements, and the process for collecting signatures and navigating legal hurdles can be costly for candidates not backed by the major parties.
American Values 2024, a super PAC (political action committee) supporting Kennedy, has pledged to spend up to US$15 million to help him gain ballot access in pivotal states. His success in Utah was made possible by a legal victory in the lawsuit he and others filed last month to push back the state’s candidate filing deadline.
Kennedy’s anti-vaccine organisation has a lawsuit pending against a number of news organisations, among them Associated Press, accusing them of violating antitrust laws by taking action to identify misinformation, including about Covid-19 and Covid-19 vaccines. Kennedy took leave from the group when he announced his run for president but is listed as one of its lawyers in the lawsuit.
Associated Press and the other news companies have asked a court to dismiss the lawsuit.