RFK Jr. says he has enough signatures to qualify for New Hampshire ballot

Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr.  is now eligible to appear on the New Hampshire ballot in November, his campaign announced.

Kennedy gathered the requisite 3,000 signatures to be an official contender in the general election in the Granite State, a significant potential battleground state that comes amid his months-long push to get on as many states as possible ahead of their deadlines. 

“Democracy is much more than voting. I’m inspired by how enthusiastic people are to collect signatures, create new political parties, and rally for real change,” Kennedy said in a statement on Tuesday evening during the end of the New Hampshire primary. 

“This kind of energy is what will get us onto the ballot in every state and fuel our voter registration and GOTV operation as we head toward Election Day,” he said. 

As an independent, Kennedy did not compete during the primary, which resulted in outside Democratic candidates challenging President Biden to distant finishes. Kennedy was previously registered as a Democrat before changing his affiliation. 

Biden and former President Trump, who is on track to win the Republican nomination after winning the first two early contests, will both likely appear on the ballot in the general election, which Kennedy is strategizing around. He is hoping to grab voters in independent-minded New Hampshire, which has become a top swing state, who are unhappy with both options. 

Kennedy’s ballot access quest is part of a broader movement to make his campaign more real in terms of existing state rules. He qualified for the Utah ballot, the earliest deadline for signatures in the lineup. He has since devoted campaign resources to tally up more states.

Larisa Trexler, the Kennedy campaign’s Northeast regional field director, said that his New Hampshire operation spanned supporters from eight decades 

“All of New England was represented. We made this our primary,” Trexler said.