Michigan is central to Democrats’ hopes of retaining the presidency in this year’s elections.
But an already perilous situation for them has just gotten even worse.
Now RFK Jr. just gave Biden a huge headache in the Wolverine State.
Democrats thought they had Michigan in the bag in 2016.
Hillary Clinton’s campaign, through incompetence or hubris or both, didn’t spend the time and effort needed to win here and, just like in Wisconsin and Pennsylvania, the traditionally blue state fell to Donald Trump on Election Night.
Four years later, in the midst of the Covid pandemic, Biden prevailed in Michigan by a narrow margin.
The state is closely politically balanced and it wouldn’t take much to tip things one way or the other.
For many months, polling has shown Biden losing the state to Trump in a rematch this year, citing inflation, crime, and that Biden is a generally uninspiring candidate.
The polls have been even worse for Biden when they included hypothetical third party candidates, as Trump’s support has been stronger among Republicans than Biden’s has been among Democrats.
Some of that can be attributed to pro-Palestinian Muslim Democrats in the state, unhappy about Biden’s handling of the war between Israel and Hamas.
For Biden in Michigan, three’s a crowd
This points to the increasing possibility that the left-leaning vote could be split, given a viable and palatable third-party candidate to that audience.
That’s where Robert Kennedy Junior comes in.
He now has the real potential to muck things up royally for Biden.
Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. secured a major victory on Thursday when he received word that he would appear on Michigan’s general election ballot.
He was nominated by the Natural Law Party, a small party with ballot access in Michigan.
Thank you, Natural Law Party for nominating us to be on Michigan’s 2024 presidential ballot. 🙏 #KennedyShanahan24 🇺🇸 https://t.co/iI7JuLyfo8 pic.twitter.com/Vnxj3pfTVe
— Robert F. Kennedy Jr (@RobertKennedyJr) April 18, 2024
Natural Law Party Chairman Doug Dern said in a statement released by the Kennedy campaign, “He’s the most qualified candidate in the modern-day history of America. We welcome Mr. Kennedy and [Kennedy running mate] Ms. Shanahan to the party.”
The news was confirmed by the Michigan Secretary of State’s office.
Kennedy gaining steam across the country
Michigan marks the second state where Kennedy has officially gained ballot access.
He qualified for ballot access in Utah earlier this year.
Early Saturday it was also reported by CNN that Kennedy has qualified for ballot access in Hawaii.
This occurred after a ruling was issued that an objection filed by the Democrat Party of Hawaii “did not meet its burden of proof in this case” and the Kennedy campaign’s We the People Party will be allowed to appear on Hawaii’s ballot in November.
The Kennedy campaign is attempting to secure ballot access in as many states as possible, a costly and time-consuming process for independent candidates.
Kennedy is polling in or very close to double digits in some national surveys and key battleground states, usually pulling more support from Biden than Trump when those same respective surveys poll a two candidate race.
Kennedy has gained more support as a third-party candidate than other independent candidates since Ross Perot thirty years ago and could play a decisive role in this year’s presidential race.
Stay tuned to Blue State Blues for any updates to this ongoing story.
