The Michigan Supreme Court opened the door for Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson to keep RFK Jr. on the ballot in a Monday ruling, reversing a Friday court of appeals decision that ruled his name be removed. This comes despite Kennedy’s announcement last month he would drop out of the race, withdrawing his name from the ballot in swing states like Michigan in hopes of helping former President Donald Trump.
“This plainly has nothing to do with ballot or election integrity,” Kennedy’s attorney Aaron Siri said Monday to The Federalist’s Senior Legal Correspondent Margot Cleveland. “The aim is precisely the opposite – to have unwitting Michigan voters throw away their votes on a withdrawn candidate.”
The ruling allows Democrat Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson to keep Kennedy’s name on November’s ballot. But the Michigan Court of Appeals ordered Kennedy’s name off the ballot Friday, as the Federalist previously reported.
“The Michigan secretary of state, as directed by the Court of Appeals, had already certified the candidates to all 83 counties in Michigan for ballot printing without Mr. Kennedy’s name,” Siri said to Cleveland.
The Federalist asked Benson’s office if she planned to keep Kennedy’s name on the ballot and whether it was possible to do so at this point. But Director of Communications Angela Benander simply said: “We’re grateful to the Michigan Supreme Court for their swift response. Clerks can now move forward with the ballot printing process to ensure absentee ballots will be delivered to voters by the
