RFK Jr. will no longer be on South Carolina’s ballot. Here’s why

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD)- Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will no longer appear on South Carolina’s ballot after he suspended his independent presidential campaign last week.

Kennedy announced Friday that he would no longer actively campaign for the White House and threw his support behind former President Donald Trump.

“In my heart, I no longer believe that I have a realistic path to electoral victory in the face of this relentless, systematic censorship and media control,” he said during a press conference in Arizona. “So I cannot in good conscience ask my staff and volunteers to keep working their long hours, or ask my donor to keep giving when I cannot honestly, tell them, that I have a real path to the White House.”

Kennedy said he planned to stay on the ballot in red and blue states but that he would remove his name from the ballot in key battleground states where he was considered a “spoiler.”

But, the Alliance Party of South Carolina — which chose Kennedy as their nominee in May — decided Monday night to withdraw his nomination, effectively taking his name off the ballot.

“While the Party wishes Mr. Kennedy well, the Alliance Party of South Carolina and its candidates are dedicated to providing voters with a choice other than that provided by the Democratic and Republican Political Parties,” said Chairwoman Keisha Long.

Long said that while the party is committed to offering voters an “alternative to the choices presented by the two legacy parties,” they do not plan to nominate or endorse another presidential candidate this election cycle.

Alliance Party voters will still have a handful of candidates representing them on the ballot as the party is fielding two candidates for the U.S. House, two candidates for the state legislature, and one candidate for Marlboro County Sheriff.

As for Kennedy, his chances of getting on the ballot in South Carolina are now slim.

Officials with the South Carolina Election Commission said Kennedy submitted a petition in March, seeking ballot access an as independent candidate through a process that requires a candidate to submit 10,000 signatures from active, registered voters.

However, that process was paused when Kennedy accepted the third-party nomination and the petition deadline has since passed.

Kennedy could technically still seek another party’s nomination, but time is running out.

The deadline for political parties to submit certified candidates’ names to the State Election Commission to be printed on the ballot is Sept. 3.