You probably saw the headlines. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. walks onto a stage in Phoenix, suspends his campaign, and shakes hands with Donald Trump. It felt like a clean break. But in the world of American election law, nothing is ever actually clean.
If you walked into a voting booth in November 2024, you might have been shocked to see his name staring back at you, even though he’d technically quit months prior. People were confused. Honestly, it was a mess. One week he was fighting to get on the ballot in New York, and the next he was suing to get off the ballot in Michigan.
The question of what states is Kennedy on the ballot turned into a legal soap opera that lasted until the very last minute. While Kennedy wanted to vanish from swing states to help Trump, several states basically said, "Too late, the printer is already running."
The Battleground Breakdown: Where He Stayed and Where He Vanished
Kennedy's strategy was pretty straightforward after he dropped out: stay on the ballot in "safe" red or blue states so his fans could still show support, but scrub his name from the "battlegrounds" where a few thousand votes could flip the presidency.
It didn't work out that way.
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In Michigan and Wisconsin, the legal systems became a brick wall. Kennedy sued. He pleaded. He even suggested that election officials put stickers over his name on millions of physical ballots. The courts weren't having it. The Michigan Supreme Court ruled he couldn't just back out because he was a minor party nominee (Natural Law Party). In Wisconsin, the law is even more blunt—once you’re in, the only way out is if you die.
So, despite his endorsement of another candidate, Kennedy remained a "choice" for voters in these two critical states.
States where Kennedy successfully withdrew
- Arizona: He pulled out early enough here to avoid the "spoiler" effect.
- Pennsylvania: A massive win for his new strategy; he was scrubbed from the Keystone State.
- Georgia: Despite some initial signature drama, he successfully stayed off the ballot here.
- North Carolina: This was a wild one. The state had already printed ballots, but the North Carolina Supreme Court ordered them to be destroyed and reprinted without his name at the 11th hour.
- Nevada: He managed to get his name removed following his suspension.
- Texas & Florida: Even though these aren't traditional "toss-ups," he withdrew from both to ensure no votes were diverted from the GOP ticket.
Why You Couldn't Find Him in New York
While he was fighting to get off the ballot in the Midwest, he was actually fighting to stay on in New York. Talk about a pivot. The New York situation was weirdly personal.
A judge ruled that Kennedy had "sham" residency in the state. He claimed a friend's bedroom in Westchester County as his permanent address, but the court found he actually lived in California. Because he "lied" on his filings, he was booted. He took it all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, but they refused to step in.
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The "Safe State" Strategy: Where He Remained
In states where the outcome was a foregone conclusion—places like California or Tennessee—Kennedy generally stayed on the ballot. He wanted to hit a 5% national threshold to secure funding for future third-party runs (though that goal eventually took a backseat to the "Unity" ticket movement).
You could find his name in:
- California (under the American Independent Party)
- Utah
- Colorado (it was a whole thing with the Libertarians there, but he stayed)
- Minnesota
- Tennessee
- Iowa
- Alaska
Basically, if it wasn't a state that could decide the entire election, the Kennedy-Shanahan ticket was likely an option on your screen or paper.
The Ghost Candidate Effect
What happens when a guy who isn't running is still on the ballot? Confusion. Pure and simple.
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In Michigan, nearly 1.75 million people had already voted by the time the Supreme Court finished its final ruling on his status. Some voters likely picked him because they didn't know he'd dropped out. Others might have picked him as a protest vote, knowing he wasn't active.
It highlights a major flaw in our patchwork system: every state has its own deadline and its own set of "can't quit" rules. In some places, the deadline to withdraw is 60 days before the election; in others, it’s as soon as you turn in your signatures.
Actionable Insights for Future Voters
The RFK Jr. ballot saga is a masterclass in why you should never assume the names on your ballot are all "active" candidates. If you want to avoid "wasted" votes or "spoiler" scenarios in future elections, here is how you stay ahead:
- Check the "Certified Candidate List": Every Secretary of State publishes a final list of candidates about 30–45 days before an election. This is the only "source of truth."
- Understand Third-Party Affiliations: Kennedy didn't always run as an "Independent." In Michigan, he was the "Natural Law Party" candidate. In other states, he was "We The People." These labels matter because different parties have different withdrawal rules.
- Watch for "Write-In" Status: If a candidate is removed from the ballot, they can sometimes still be "certified write-ins." This means the state will actually count votes with their name written in, rather than tossing them in the trash.
The 2024 election proved that a "suspended" campaign isn't a "deleted" campaign. Whether by choice or by court order, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. remained a factor in the voting booth long after he left the trail.