Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will be on the North Carolina ballot in November after all, the state's elections board decided Tuesday.
Why it matters: The move could have a significant impact on the presidential race in North Carolina, a swing state where elections are decided on the margins.
- The state is also expected to be key to winning the presidency.
Catch up quick: The elections board, made up of three Democrats and two Republicans, rejected initial requests to certify parties associated with RFK Jr. and Cornel West, along with the Constitution Party.
- In response, it faced fierce pushback from the GOP, which accused the board of partisanship, saying that blocking the parties' certification would help Democrats in November.
- It changed course and certified the Constitution Party last week.
The latest: The board then backtracked Tuesday regarding the party representing Kennedy, "We The People," voting 4-1 to certify it.
- But it rejected the West-affiliated "Justice for All" party's bid 3-2, citing evidence of fraud in the signatures it submitted to the board.
The intrigue: The elections board faced pressure from both sides of the aisle in the lead-up to Tuesday's vote, as Democrats questioned the legitimacy of both parties' petitions, and Republicans accused the board of trying to sway the election in Democrats' favor.
- Third-party presidential candidates could ultimately siphon votes away from President Biden and former President Trump, who won North Carolina by just 1.3% in 2020 and 3.6% in 2016.
- A similar fight played out in 2022 after the board rejected the Green Party's petition that year. A judge ultimately ruled that the party would appear on the ballot .
Inside the room: In a now-leaked phone call with Kennedy Monday, Trump told Kennedy he'd "love" for him to "do something" with his campaign, Axios' Erin Doherty reports .
- "It would be so good for you and so big for you," Trump told Kennedy.
How it works: Certification allows a party to put candidates on the ballot and gives voters the ability to register with that party.
- Parties must obtain 13,865 signatures to petition for certification. We The People submitted 18,309.
- North Carolina voters can now register with the Constitution, Democratic, Green, Libertarian, No Labels, Republican, or We The People parties, or they can register as unaffiliated.
- We The People nominated Kennedy and Nicole Shanahan for president and vice president at a convention in June, along with candidates for a Charlotte state senate district and Rowan County commissioner.
Context: The lone board member to vote against the We The People petition, a Democrat, said Kennedy is affiliated with various parties on ballots in some states and is running independent or unaffiliated in others.
- In Hawaii, Mississippi and now North Carolina, the "so-called party serves as nothing but a special purpose vehicle for Mr. Kennedy's independent candidacy," board member Siobhan Millen said.
As for West's Justice for All party, the board said some signature gatherers did not comply with a subpoena for more information.
- State House Speaker Tim Moore called the board's decision to reject Justice for All "election interference at its worst."
What's next: State lawmakers scheduled will hold a hearing July 23 into the board's handling of the petitions.
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