What to know about Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s bid to get on Wisconsin's presidential ballot

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., known for his famous family and his opposition to vaccines, launched an effort Monday to get his name on Wisconsin's presidential ballot.

Here’s what to know about Kennedy’s campaign and how he could impact the tight race in Wisconsin.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. polls higher in Wisconsin than Jill Stein and Cornel West, but his support is dropping

A Marquette University Law School poll released June 27 found that, with third-party candidates included in the mix, Republican former President Donald Trump is backed by 43% of Wisconsin registered voters, followed by President Joe Biden at 40%. Next is Kennedy, at 8% followed by independent candidate Cornel West at 4%, Green Party candidate Jill Stein at 2% and Libertarian Chase Oliver at 2%.

In a six-way ballot test, Kennedy drew an equal share of votes from Republicans and Democrats at 6%, a reduction from polling in April in January. Among independents, Kennedy received support from 26% compared to 32% for Trump and 21% for Biden. 

The poll showed a continued drop in support for Kennedy — the 8% of registered voters supporting him was down from 13% in the April poll and 17% in February.

Kennedy was attracting more votes from Republicans than Democratic respondents in the April survey. His support has come down among all partisan groups, but most among Republicans — one of the reasons Trump has a lead when third-party candidates are considered.

How many signatures does Kennedy’s team need, and when do they need to be submitted?

The team’s opening to submit signatures started Monday. In Wisconsin, an independent presidential candidate needs to file between 2,000 and 4,000 signatures with the Wisconsin Elections Commission between July 1 and 5 p.m. on Aug. 6 for ballot access. The nominations must include the names of the candidates for president and vice president.

In addition to filing nomination papers, an independent candidate is required to file a declaration of candidacy with the commission by the same deadline.

Kennedy's team said they have the Wisconsin ballot signature petitions in hand and will hold stop-and-sign events throughout the state, including in Milwaukee's Bradford Beach on Wednesday and outside of the Summerfest gates on Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

In an interview with WISN 12 News, Amaryllis Kennedy, RFK’s campaign manager and daughter-in-law, said the campaign anticipates finishing signature collection in two weeks, but will probably collect 4,000 or 5,000 to be sure they have “far more” than they need.

“Ballot access is a challenge for independent candidates but we really like to see it as a hidden opportunity,” Kennedy said on the show. “It's encouraged us to have the best county-by-county ground game state-by-state across the country.”

The deadline for any challenges to nomination papers and candidacy declarations is Aug. 9, and responses have to be filed within three calendar days after the challenge.

The WEC will hold a virtual meeting Aug. 27 to consider and grant ballot access to candidates and to hear any challenges filed to independent presidential and vice-presidential candidates.

In how many states has Kennedy qualified for the ballot?

Kennedy’s campaign team says its ballot access operation has raised more than $15 million, but the ticket has a long way to go before earning ballot access in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

The Kennedy ticket is on the ballot in eight states, has submitted signatures in another 12 and has collected the required amount of signatures in six states as of July 1, according to the campaign’s website. Wisconsin is one of 24 that the campaign has not posted an update about as of Wednesday morning.

What are Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s policy stances?

Kennedy launched his presidential campaign in April 2023 but in October dropped his Democratic bid and re-entered the race as an independent. He has campaigned on “freeing government agencies from the control of big corporations” and called the two-party system “rigged.” 

He called the southern border a “dystopian nightmare” and has said he agrees with Trump on increasing border protection. He supports cutting military spending and mitigating U.S. involvement in conflicts, including withdrawing support for Ukraine and reaching a diplomatic solution with Russia. 

Kennedy has also repeatedly pushed false medical claims about COVID-19, including that vaccines are linked to autism. 

He has struggled to maintain a clear stance on abortion. He initially said he would support a federal abortion ban after the first three months of pregnancy but later said he misspoke and that he supports legal access to abortion and mifepristone pills.

Sen. Ron Johnson counts himself as a fan of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Supporters with the Wisconsin chapter of People for Kennedy have held events in the state including a meet-and-greet in Wauwatosa and plan to hold more throughout this week to gather signatures.

Wisconsin's Republican Sen. Ron Johnson told reporters last year that he watched Kennedy's two-hour campaign announcement speech in its entirety, and has read several books the candidate has recommended to him. One of those is "JFK and the Unspeakable: Why He Died and Why It Matters," which argues government agencies were behind the assassination of Kennedy's uncle, President John F. Kennedy, Jr. Another is "The Devil's Chessboard: Allen Dulles, the CIA, and the Rise of America's Secret Government."

Asked in an interview last summer who he thinks is a "remarkable character" in the 2024 presidential election, Johnson pointed to Kennedy, noting he shares "a lot of views" with Kennedy on the coronavirus pandemic.

While he's on good terms with Kennedy, Johnson has pledged to do as he always has and support the Republican Party's nominee in November.

Who is RFK Jr.’s running mate Nicole Shanahan?

Kennedy in March announced that he chose lawyer and philanthropist Nicole Shanahan to be his running mate, capping off speculation that he might choose former Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers.

Shanahan is a relatively unknown but wealthy California-based lawyer and philanthropist who serves as president of Bia-Echo Foundation, an organization she founded to invest in causes including reproductive equality, criminal justice reform and environmental protections. She’s never held office but possesses a fortune of more than $1 billion. 

Kennedy earlier in his campaign approached Rodgers about serving as his running mate and said he was near the top of his short list of names. Like Kennedy, Rodgers is a skeptic of the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines and has already said he plans to vote for Kennedy for president.

Could RJK Jr. shift the election?

Kennedy has built a platform based on his opposition to vaccines and his storied family in Democratic politics, though Kennedy's family has rejected RFK Jr's run for president and endorsed Biden in the 2024 election. He’s raised concerns among Democrats that he may draw votes away from Biden.

Recent polling shows Biden and Trump locked in a dead heat in Wisconsin with some concerning signs for Biden that were likely exacerbated by his halting performance in last week’s debate against Trump.

Getting on the ballot, let alone winning, would be a long shot for Kennedy, who didn’t qualify to compete in CNN’s debate. But in a state where the 2020 election was decided by about 20,000 votes, Kennedy could help sway the election.

The Democratic National Committee confirmed as much in a Friday memo that said he “doesn’t have a path to the White House” but could “help decide who wins.”

“The current state of his campaign only reinforces his role as spoiler and confirms that, with the stakes this high, the only way to stop Donald Trump is by voting for President Biden,” the memo reads.

More:Will a third-party candidate play a spoiler role in Wisconsin? Here are some reasons to doubt that