Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Kennedy Fails to Qualify for CNN Debate
d8a347b41db1ddee634e2d67d08798c102ef09ac
By The New York Times
Published 5 months ago on
June 20, 2024

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., an independent candidate for president, at a campaign event in Aurora, Colo., May 19, 2024. Kennedy failed to qualify for the CNN presidential debate on June 27 by the network’s deadline on Thursday, June 19, 2024, a significant blow to his independent presidential bid that will deny him a coveted national stage alongside President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump. (Rachel Woolf/The New York Times)

Share

Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. failed to qualify for the CNN presidential debate on June 27 by the network’s Thursday deadline, according to the outlet, a significant blow to his independent presidential bid that will deny him a coveted national stage alongside President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump.

Qualifying Would Have Been a Prize for Kennedy

Qualifying for the CNN debate, one of two presidential debates scheduled before Election Day, would have been a plum prize for the Kennedy campaign. More than 73 million people watched the first debate between Biden and Trump in 2020, and Kennedy would have had the opportunity to confront his opponents in front of an extensive national audience.

No third-party or independent presidential candidate has been on the national debate stage since 1992, when Texas billionaire Ross Perot’s self-funded campaign gained enough momentum to earn him a spot alongside President George Bush and Gov. Bill Clinton of Arkansas in three debates in the final weeks before the election.

But Kennedy failed to meet two criteria. In the face of mounting challenges before the deadline, Kennedy had accused CNN of colluding with the Biden and Trump campaigns to exclude him from the debate, and he filed a complaint to the Federal Election Commission accusing the network of violating campaign finance law.

CNN has denied those accusations. Biden and Trump have a mutual interest in keeping Kennedy off the debate stage, as he is drawing support away from both candidates — and both campaigns are concerned about the potential for him to swing the election in key battleground states.

Kennedy Needed at Least 15% in Four National Polls

To qualify, Kennedy needed to earn at least 15% support in four approved national polls. By Thursday, however, he had only three such polls — one from CNN, one from Quinnipiac University and one from Marquette University Law School.

Kennedy also needed to be officially on the ballot in enough states that he could win 270 votes in the Electoral College — the threshold for winning the presidency. As of Thursday, Kennedy had less than a third of that number, according to an analysis by The New York Times. He is officially on the ballot in six states — California, Delaware, Hawaii, Michigan, Oklahoma and Utah — totaling 89 Electoral College votes.

The ballot access requirement was significantly more onerous for an independent presidential candidate than the polling requirement.

Kennedy needed just one qualifying poll in the last month before the deadline to meet the polling requirement, though his standing in the polls has stalled in recent weeks.

In contrast, Kennedy’s ballot access operation had filed petitions to get on the ballot in more than a dozen other states — collecting tens of thousands of signatures from registered voters in the process — as groups aligned with Biden have targeted the petitions with legal challenges.

The Kennedy campaign had asserted that many of those state ballot petitions would be approved by the June 20 deadline. But by Thursday, the campaign was still no closer to reaching the 270 vote threshold. CNN has previously said that “the mere application for ballot access” does not count as being on the ballot in that state.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

Chris Cameron/Rachel Woolf
c.2024 The New York Times Company
Distributed by The New York Times Licensing Group

RELATED TOPICS:

DON'T MISS

Trump Says Musk, Vivek Will Form Outside Group to Advise White House on Government Efficiency

DON'T MISS

Fate of Clovis Trustee Race Still Up in the Air. So Are Clovis, Sanger School Bond Measures.

DON'T MISS

Richardson Widens Lead Over Bonakdar in Nail-Biting Race for Fresno City Council

DON'T MISS

What to Know About John Ratcliffe, Trump’s Pick for CIA Director

DON'T MISS

Here Are the People Trump Has Picked for Key Positions So Far

DON'T MISS

Waymo’s Robotaxis Now Open to Anyone Who Wants a Driverless Ride in Los Angeles

DON'T MISS

Fresno County Man Accused of Filing Fake Disability Claims in $300K Fraud Scheme

DON'T MISS

Trump Nominates Fox News Host Pete Hegseth for Defense Secretary

DON'T MISS

Economists Warn of Inflation and Debt Risks in Trump’s Second Term Plans

DON'T MISS

How Many Smoke Shops Is Too Many? Fresno Plan Would Allow Only 49

UP NEXT

Fate of Clovis Trustee Race Still Up in the Air. So Are Clovis, Sanger School Bond Measures.

UP NEXT

Richardson Widens Lead Over Bonakdar in Nail-Biting Race for Fresno City Council

UP NEXT

What to Know About John Ratcliffe, Trump’s Pick for CIA Director

UP NEXT

Here Are the People Trump Has Picked for Key Positions So Far

UP NEXT

Waymo’s Robotaxis Now Open to Anyone Who Wants a Driverless Ride in Los Angeles

UP NEXT

Fresno County Man Accused of Filing Fake Disability Claims in $300K Fraud Scheme

UP NEXT

Trump Nominates Fox News Host Pete Hegseth for Defense Secretary

UP NEXT

Economists Warn of Inflation and Debt Risks in Trump’s Second Term Plans

UP NEXT

How Many Smoke Shops Is Too Many? Fresno Plan Would Allow Only 49

UP NEXT

US Says It Will Not Limit Israel Arms Transfers After Some Improvements in Flow of Aid to Gaza

What to Know About John Ratcliffe, Trump’s Pick for CIA Director

8 hours ago

Here Are the People Trump Has Picked for Key Positions So Far

8 hours ago

Waymo’s Robotaxis Now Open to Anyone Who Wants a Driverless Ride in Los Angeles

8 hours ago

Fresno County Man Accused of Filing Fake Disability Claims in $300K Fraud Scheme

8 hours ago

Trump Nominates Fox News Host Pete Hegseth for Defense Secretary

9 hours ago

Economists Warn of Inflation and Debt Risks in Trump’s Second Term Plans

9 hours ago

How Many Smoke Shops Is Too Many? Fresno Plan Would Allow Only 49

9 hours ago

US Says It Will Not Limit Israel Arms Transfers After Some Improvements in Flow of Aid to Gaza

9 hours ago

Who With Valley Ties Could Land Spots in the Trump Administration?

10 hours ago

Tulare Gang Member Gets Life Without Parole for 2022 Murders

11 hours ago

Trump Says Musk, Vivek Will Form Outside Group to Advise White House on Government Efficiency

WASHINGTON — President-elect Donald Trump on Tuesday said Elon Musk and former GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy will lead a new “D...

7 hours ago

7 hours ago

Trump Says Musk, Vivek Will Form Outside Group to Advise White House on Government Efficiency

7 hours ago

Fate of Clovis Trustee Race Still Up in the Air. So Are Clovis, Sanger School Bond Measures.

8 hours ago

Richardson Widens Lead Over Bonakdar in Nail-Biting Race for Fresno City Council

8 hours ago

What to Know About John Ratcliffe, Trump’s Pick for CIA Director

8 hours ago

Here Are the People Trump Has Picked for Key Positions So Far

8 hours ago

Waymo’s Robotaxis Now Open to Anyone Who Wants a Driverless Ride in Los Angeles

A Fresno County man has been indicted on mail fraud charges for allegedly submitting over $300,000 in falsified disability claims using stolen identities. (GV Wire File)
8 hours ago

Fresno County Man Accused of Filing Fake Disability Claims in $300K Fraud Scheme

Pete Hegseth walks to an elevator for a meeting with President-elect Donald Trump at Trump Tower in New York, Dec. 15, 2016. (AP File)
9 hours ago

Trump Nominates Fox News Host Pete Hegseth for Defense Secretary

Search

Send this to a friend