Judge rules Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s name will stay on Wisconsin ballot

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s name will remain on the ballot in the swing state of Wisconsin, a judge ruled Monday.

Dane County Circuit Judge Stephen Ehlke ruled that Wisconsin law clearly states presidential candidates who have submitted nomination papers can’t be removed from the ballot unless they die. Kennedy’s campaign submitted nomination papers before the state’s Aug. 6 deadline.

“The statute is plain on its face,” Ehlke said, adding later: “Mr. Kennedy has no one to blame but himself if he didn’t want to be on the ballot.”

Time is running out for Kennedy to get his name off the Wisconsin ballot. County clerks face a Wednesday deadline to print ballots and distribute them to more than 1,800 local officials in cities, towns and villages who run elections.

Kennedy asked a state appellate court to consider the case last week, days before Ehlke issued his ruling. The 2nd District Court of Appeals has been waiting for Ehlke’s decision before deciding whether to take the case.

Kennedy suspended his campaign in August and endorsed Republican candidate Donald Trump. Kennedy said he would try to get his name removed from ballots in battleground states while telling his supporters that they could continue to back him in the majority of states where they are unlikely to sway the outcome.

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Kennedy won a court order in North Carolina earlier this month to remove his name from ballots there. Kennedy filed a lawsuit Sept. 3 in an attempt to get off the Wisconsin ballot, arguing that third-party candidates are discriminated against because state law treats Republicans and Democrats running for president differently.

Republicans and Democrats have until 5 p.m. on the first Tuesday in September before an election to certify their presidential nominee. Independent candidates like Kennedy can only withdraw before the Aug. 6 deadline for submitting nomination papers.

The Wisconsin Elections Commission voted 5-1 earlier this month to approve Kennedy’s name for the ballot after an attempt by Republican commissioners to remove him failed. The commission noted the statute that candidates from removing themselves from the ballot short of death.

The presence of independent and third-party candidates on the ballot could be a key factor in Wisconsin, where four of the past six presidential elections have been decided by between 5,700 votes and about 23,000 votes.

In 2016, Green Party nominee Jill Stein got just over 31,000 votes in Wisconsin — more than Trump’s winning margin of just under 23,000 votes. Some Democrats have blamed her for helping Trump win the state and the presidency that year.