(LifeSiteNews) – Former third-party presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will still appear on Michigan’s ballot despite withdrawing from the race and throwing his support behind Republican nominee Donald Trump, the Michigan Supreme Court ruled Monday.
Kennedy, a former Democrat environmental activist and political outcast of the legendary Kennedy family, dropped his independent White House bid last month and endorsed former President Trump, declaring he did not want to become a “spoiler” candidate who might inadvertently help Democrat Vice President Kamala Harris win the election. He said at the time he would be having his name removed from the 10 battleground states where his internal polling indicated his presence might help Harris and hurt Trump.
But Michigan’s highest court decided in an unsigned opinion that Kennedy “has not shown” he was “entitled to this extraordinary relief,” USA Today reported, finding no valid reason to remove him and reversing a lower court that had sided with the candidate.
In a concurring opinion, Democrat Justice Elizabeth Welch agreed with Democrat Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson that a state law preventing candidates from having their names removed did apply to presidential races and that Kennedy had held off on making the request until a time when the “deadline for ballot printing that was two weeks away.”
Republican Justices Brian Zahra and David Viviano disagreed, arguing that “no provision in law” supported denying Kennedy’s request. “Now countless Michigan voters may be deluded and deceived into casting their ballots for a candidate who has no intention to hold the office,” they wrote.
The same day, the Court also rejected a bid to remove far-left candidate Cornel West’s name from the presidential ballot.
On Tuesday, Kennedy filed an appeal of the ruling with the U.S. District Court in Detroit, the Detroit Free Press reported. He also made an appeal to his supporters on social media: “No matter what state you live in, VOTE TRUMP. A Trump victory is a Kennedy victory.”
During his candidacy, few expected Kennedy to actually become president, but he generated significant speculation as to whether he would draw more votes from Trump or Democrat incumbent President Joe Biden (who has since stepped aside in favor of nominating Harris), and was embraced as a symbolic protest vote for many dissatisfied with Trump and both major parties. He retained left-wing views on most issues but gained some respect and interest among conservatives for his strong stand against the COVID establishment.
Since endorsing Trump, Kennedy has been named to the Republican nominee’s transition team, where he will help recommend policies and personnel for the next administration if Trump wins.
Polling aggregations by RealClearPolitics and RaceToTheWH continue to show Harris leading Trump in both national polling and Electoral College, although the gap has narrowed in recent days, and speculation abounds as to how Tuesday’s presidential debate will impact the race.
In Michigan, RaceToTheWH’s aggregation shows Harris with 47.9% of the vote, Trump with 45.7%, Kennedy with 4.7%, and West with 0.5%.