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Libertarians for Kennedy Propose Co-Nomination Strategy to Ensure Future Ballot Access and RFK Jr. Debate Access

Libertarians for Kennedy, a group of Libertarians who sought to nominate independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. at the party convention, proposed a strategic plan on Wednesday to place Kennedy on certain state ballots. This effort aims to improve future ballot access for the party while also helping Kennedy participate in the presidential debates.

The group initially invited Kennedy to seek the presidential nomination of the Libertarian Party at its convention held this past weekend. The invitation included a letter signed by several state Libertarian Party leaders, delegation chairs, and an alternate regional member of the Libertarian National Committee. Kennedy ultimately joined the Libertarian Party as a sustaining member and filed the appropriate nomination papers but was defeated in the first round of voting.

According to a press release from the organization shared with Independent Political Report, Libertarians for Kennedy are now asking state affiliates to consider running Kennedy and his running mate, Nicole Shanahan, alongside the Libertarian ticket of Chase Oliver and Mike ter Maat. While the group acknowledged and congratulated the Oliver-ter Maat campaign in their statement, they also believe that the prominence of Kennedy as a protest candidate and his potential to participate in the first national debate of the election cycle could help ensure the future viability of the Libertarian Party. They suggested running Kennedy and Shanahan instead in certain strategic states where future ballot access is tethered to candidate performance.

The organization further states that for their proposed strategy to work, it would involve collaboration between the Oliver-ter Maat presidential campaign and state Libertarian Party affiliates to agreeably co-nominate the Kennedy-Shanahan campaign in those select states.

“State affiliates are not obligated to participate in this Grand Bargain to place the Kennedy-Shanahan campaign on their ballot,” the organization adds. “We as Libertarians alone do not have the resources to participate in the debates and in many cases cannot provide enough support for our candidates, but together we do.”

It’s not immediately clear if by “co-nomination,” Libertarians for Kennedy is referencing a specific clause in the Libertarian Party bylaws or if they are looking at having certain state parties voluntarily give their ballot access lines to the Kennedy-Shanahan campaign in those areas.

6 Comments

  1. Walter Ziobro May 30, 2024

    @ Reality:

    Well, in Massachusetts, the ballot qualified Libertarian Party will likely put Oliver on the ballot. RFK2 would have to petition under another label.

  2. Reality May 30, 2024

    I think that’s pretty much only nh. They said 22 states which could qualify for retention with higher percentage, implying they mean 22 state L.P. S should run Kennedy rather than the nominated ticket.

  3. Darryl W Perry May 29, 2024

    @Walter: I don’t know if they’re talking about having Kennedy petition onto the ballot as an L, which at least in NH is legal. In 2008 there were 2 Libertarian POTUS candidates on the general election ballot and in 2022 there were 2 Libertarian Governor candidates on the ballot

  4. RFK Jr. has taken a long desired step in re-taking the Libertarian NAP Pledge and starting the process of learning in depth about Libertarian tools.

    If he advances he would be a meaningful USLP candidate for 2028 and 2032 doing a repeat of what I worked out with his Uncle–broad deregulation and tax-rate reduction. 2024 is too problematic, and this proposal has legal difficulties.

    I will likely get in contact with him post-2025 when this is behind him.

  5. Reality May 29, 2024

    They can’t. I think they are blabbering about stare LPs in some states running Kennedy regardless of national convention results. I guess it could happen. Different states with different presidential tickets as “L.P.”, not just Kennedy and Oliver but NOTA, Rectenwald, potentially Trump in NY/CT/CA, who knows what else. Practically, who would stop it in time? Probably no one.

  6. Walter Ziobro May 29, 2024

    I’m not sure that I understand how this would work in practice.

    Can anyone explain how a party can run two separate slates of electors in the same states??

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