Independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is set to appear on Colorado’s presidential ballot this November under an agreement struck with the state Libertarian Party, his campaign announced Wednesday.
The controversial candidate will replace the Libertarian Party’s national presidential nominee in the state under a resolution passed by the Colorado Libertarians’ board Tuesday night. Instead of Chase Oliver and running mate Mike ter Maat, whom state party leaders rejected last month, Colorado’s ballot will list Kennedy and his vice-presidential pick, wealthy Silicon Valley lawyer Nicole Shanahan.
Kennedy, an anti-vaccine scion of the Kennedy political dynasty who’s running an independent campaign for the presidency — after abandoning his initial bid in the Democratic primary last year — had been gathering signatures to gain access to the ballot here. His new partnership will catapult him into November via the Libertarian Party’s standing presence on the ballot.
Hannah Goodman, the chair of the Libertarian Party of Colorado, told The Denver Post that Kennedy signed the group’s “liberty pledge” and had worked to embrace Libertarian principles during his campaign, particularly related to economic privatization. She said his speech at the party’s May national convention was a culmination of his pivots toward the party’s policy positions.
“We were unhappy with the Chase Oliver ticket because it didn’t effectively align with any of our principles,” Goodman said.
She declined to provide a copy of the pledge signed by Kennedy, though she said it was in line with similar party policy agreements signed by state and federal candidates. The federal version includes promises to defund a slew of governmental agencies, including eliminating the Department of Education, and to oppose gun-reform laws.
In a statement, Kennedythanked Goodman and the state Libertarian Party for their “visionary leadership in defense of freedom.” The state party and Kennedy will also partner on outreach and campaigning works in the coming months, his campaign said.
Kennedy’s background has come under increased scrutiny in recent months. On Tuesday, he was accused by a former babysitter of inappropriate touching and groping in the late 1990s in a Vanity Fair story. In response to those sexual assault allegations, Kennedy said on a podcast that he was “not a church boy.” He would not deny them when asked, though he called the article “garbage.”
Asked about the allegations, Goodman said she wanted to see more information before commenting.
In his bid to publicly debate and seriously challenge President Joe Biden and Donald Trump in November, Kennedy has partnered with minor parties in some states to gain ballot access. In some states, including Hawaii, he’s formed his own political party.
Kennedy hosted a campaign rally in Aurora in May, and he’s set to appear at the Independent National Convention in Denver in September.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Originally Published: July 3, 2024 at 1:32 p.m.
