The two political rivals are focused on winning the presidential election this year. But a major wrench has been thrown into those plans.
As Trump and Biden were hit with a 2024 election curveball that they never saw coming.
Former President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden are set to participate in a debate later this month.
As of now, CNN will host the debate between just the two candidates, but there may be a third participant who’s vying for a spot on the debate stage.
That participant, of course, is independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Kennedy recently announced that he has gathered and submitted enough signatures to appear on Minnesota’s ballot this fall.
By appearing on the North Star State’s ballot, he now is eligible to receive over 270 electoral votes. That also means he’s getting closer to becoming eligible for the presidential debate on June 27.
That could lead to a massive shakeup in the debate, as Biden and Trump would then have to prepare for three total participants to appear on stage when they were only expecting two.
Kennedy now has access to 19 states’ ballots, which amounts to 278 potential electoral votes should he win all of those states.
In order to officially qualify for the CNN debate, he must hit 15% in four national polls.
“Candidates must also appear on a sufficient number of state ballots to reach the 270 electoral vote threshold to win the presidency and receive at least 15% in four separate national polls of registered or likely voters that meet CNN’s standards for reporting,” CNN said in their explanation of their qualifications for the debate.
The independent candidate is officially on the ballot in Utah, Michigan, Delaware, Oklahoma, California, Hawaii, Texas, South Carolina, and Florida.
New Hampshire, Nevada, Idaho, North Carolina, Nebraska, Iowa, Ohio, New Jersey, New York, and Minnesota, are the other 10 states where Kennedy and his campaign have received enough signatures to obtain ballot access.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was not pleased when he found out he was left out of the planned debates this year.
He claimed that CNN, Trump, and Biden, were purposefully trying to “exclude” him from participating.
“Presidents Trump and Biden are colluding to lock America into a head-to-head match-up that 70% say they do not want,” Kennedy said on X.
“They are trying to exclude me from their debate because they are afraid I would win. Keeping viable candidates off the debate stage undermines democracy. Forty-three percent of Americans identify as independents.”
https://x.com/RobertKennedyJr/status/1790758680381591981
While Kennedy is running a solid third-party campaign compared to other third party candidates in previous presidential election years, there’s little to no chance he will actually win the presidency.
If anything, his campaign will likely play a spoiler for Joe Biden’s reelection chances.
Stay tuned to The Federalist Wire.
