RFK Jr. qualifies for Maine's presidential ballot as an independent candidate

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has filed enough signatures to appear on Maine’s presidential ballot this November.

The Maine Secretary of State’s Office confirmed Monday evening that Kennedy — an environmental attorney and well-known anti-vaccination activist — had gathered more than 4,800 signatures from registered voters. As an independent, Kennedy had until Aug. 1 to file between 4,000 and 5,000 signatures in order to qualify for the fall ballot.

Kennedy is running as an independent after dropping an initial bidto challenge President Biden in the Democratic primary. According to his campaign, Kennedy has collected enough signatures for ballot access in 34 states and has qualified in more than a dozen. And while his campaign is widely viewed as a longshot, election observers say his presence on ballots across the country could impact the race.

“We’re proud that Mainers’ voices are being heard,” Kennedy campaign Maine state director James Donahue said in a statement. “We collected signatures from nearly all of our 500 municipalities, highlighting the enormous support for Kennedy in Maine.”

Kennedy is part of an American political dynasty, as the son of the late Robert F. Kennedy and the nephew of President John F. Kennedy. But RFK Jr. is arguably best known for leading one of the nation’s largest and most vocal anti-vaccination organizations, Children’s Health Defense.

Public health groups and vaccination advocates have accused Kennedy of spreading misinformation on vaccine safety, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. His controversial views could make help him to pick up support among vaccine skeptics and Republican or libertarian voters.

Kennedy was polling 4% in a recent survey of Maine voters, which was conducted by the University of New Hampshire Survey Center after Biden’s withdrawal from the race. The poll showed 48% of respondents said they would vote for Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris while 40% supported former Republican President Donald Trump.