Group supporting RFK Jr. says it has enough signatures to qualify him for Arizona ballot

The group supporting Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s independent bid for president announced this week it has gathered enough signatures for Kennedy to appear on Arizona’s Nov. 5 presidential ballot.

American Values 24 says it has collected more than 75,000 signatures in Arizona, nearly twice the minimum amount that independent candidates need for statewide elections.

Kennedy, an environmental lawyer and anti-vaccine activist, is widely seen as unlikely to win this year’s presidential race, which is shaping up to pit former President Donald Trump against President Joe Biden.

The greater impact of his candidacy could be to tip the contest one way or another, especially in a swing state like Arizona, where Biden won by less than half of a percentage point in 2020.

Kennedy originally launched his candidacy as a Democrat but switched in October to run as an independent. That meant he could skip a primary challenge against Biden, who has commanded a strong majority of support from his party in the ongoing nomination contest, and proceed directly to the general election.

Working to pick up more signatures

His window to file those signatures with elections officials is between July 28 and August 17, according to Aaron Thacker, a spokesperson for the Arizona Secretary of State’s Office. Officials will then review the signatures to ensure they are valid.

Kennedy’s signature-gathering effort has been financed in part by American Values 24, which is prohibited by law from coordinating directly with his official campaign.

Democrats have filed a complaint with campaign finance regulators, arguing that the signature-gathering efforts require coordination between the PAC and Kennedy’s campaign. Kennedy has denied those accusations.

According to their website, American Values also gathered enough signatures for Kennedy to appear on the ballot in Georgia, another swing state. It is prioritizing 10 other states: Michigan, South Carolina, Maryland, California, West Virginia, Indiana, Texas, Illinois, New York and Massachusetts.

“The grassroots energy and momentum give us more confidence than ever in our ability to knock out the remaining states on our list of states quickly,” Tony Lyons, co-founder of the PAC, said in a written statement.

Kennedy's background

Kennedy's uncle John F. Kennedy was the 35th president, serving from 1961 until his assassination on Nov. 22, 1963, in Dallas. His father, Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, D-N.Y., was running for president when he was assassinated on June 6, 1968, in Los Angeles.

Prior to his candidacy, Kennedy became known for his skepticism of the pharmaceutical industry, promoting the unfounded conspiracy claims that vaccines cause autism, that radiation from Wi-Fi can cause health issues, and that the COVID-19 virus is “targeted to attack” some racial groups more than others.

He didn't talk about those topics last year during a campaign visit to Arizona. Instead, he focused on the economic hardships facing Americans, taking aim at corporations he said are robbing wealth from the middle class, harming the environment and fostering wars to help their profits.

"When my uncle was president, this country owned half the wealth on earth ...," Kennedy said during the hour-long speech in December. "And we were also the moral authority around the world."

Laura Gersony covers national politics for The Arizona Republic. Reach her at lgersony@gannett.com or 480-372-0389.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: RFK Jr. group: We have enough signatures to get him on Arizona ballot