Robert F. Kennedy Jr. blasted his former party's “disdain for democracy” after a state residency legal battle threatened its access to the polls across the country.
Since launching his bid for the White House in August 2023, the massive backlash from the Democratic Party against the environmental advocate prompted him to switch to an independent run after the Democratic National Convention protected President Joe Biden of the primary debates.
Now, a political action committee founded by a former Biden deputy campaign manager has succeeded in removing Kennedy from the New York state ballot after challenging his residency.
As part of her 34-page ruling, New York Judge Christina L. Ryba determined that the rented bedroom in Westchester County that Kennedy had listed as her place of residence in her petition was not a “residence of bona fide and legitimate, but simply a 'fake' address that he assumed for the purpose of maintaining his voter registration.”
“Using a friend's address for political and voting purposes, even though he barely sets foot on the premises, does not amount to residency under the Electoral Act,” wrote Ryba, who found the use of the 'address “was a false statement requiring invalidation of the petition”.
“To hold otherwise would set a dangerous precedent and open the door to the fraud and bad politics that the Electoral Act's residency rules were designed to prevent,” argued the judge, whose ruling would not only keep him off the ballot of New York, but would pave the way for legal challenges in other states after the address was used to collect signatures to get on the ballot.
In a statement after Monday's ruling, Kennedy stated, “Democrats show contempt for democracy. They don't trust that they can win at the polls, so they're trying to prevent voters from having a choice.”
He further expressed to X, “This case is an assault on the voters of New York who signed in record numbers to put me on their ballot. The DNC has become a party that uses the law instead of the democratic electoral process. We will appeal and we will win.”
This case is an assault on New York voters who signed in record numbers to put me on their ballot. The DNC has become a party that uses the law instead of the democratic election process. We will appeal and win. https://t.co/D8rfIogIai
— Robert F. Kennedy Jr (@RobertKennedyJr) August 13, 2024
Fox News informed that Barbara Moss, the wife of Kennedy's friend Timothy Hadock, who is said to be renting the room to the candidate, had testified that there was no written lease and that her payments of $500 a month had not started until after the New York Post had published a story about his claimed residency.
While the independent candidate tried to fight the decision, Clear Choice PAC continued its Democratic-aligned effort against third-party candidates, mounting challenges in Illinois and Pennsylvania, according to CNN. Maine Secretary of State Shenn Bellows (D) said Monday she would consider an objection to access to Kennedy's ballots about his residence in New York.
“The Kennedy team will no doubt file desperate lawsuit after desperate lawsuit in the coming days and weeks; they will fail, and the simple truth will not change: he lied, and he is being held responsible”, said a statement from the PAC.
In addition to serving the 2020 Biden campaign, Clear Choice founder Pete Kavanaugh also served as the New Hampshire state director for then-President Barack Obama's 2012 re-election campaign as detailed on your LinkedIn profile.
CNN beyond informed that Kennedy had so far qualified for the ballot in 17 states, while his campaign had announced that, after more than 1 million signatures across the country, “more than any candidate in US history “, qualified to be on the ballot in all 50 states and Washington, DC
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