A judge ruled on Monday that independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. could not be on the New York State ballot due to falsely claiming he lived in New York.
If the decision stands, Kennedy may be removed from the New York ballot, and it could be used as a basis to remove him from ballots in other states as well.
Scripps News interviewed Kennedy on Tuesday regarding the ruling and his federal election statements that listed his home address.
“The federal statement had a mailing address in California,” Kennedy explained. “Legally, your domicile has to be where you vote. So, I had to take an oath in New Hampshire stating that I voted in New York, making it my domicile. I had to list New York as I can’t have different states on various state ballots. I had to choose one domicile after reviewing all the facts.”
RELATED STORY | Judge rules against RFK Jr. in fight to be on New York’s ballot
Kennedy criticized the ruling as partisan and stated his plans to appeal.
“States cannot impose additional requirements beyond the three stipulated by the 12th Amendment for presidential candidacy,” Kennedy told Scripps News. “This is a national election, and the courts have maintained that there shouldn’t be state-specific rules preventing a national candidate from running. States cannot supersede the 12th Amendment.”
“The DNC is grasping at straws to bar me from the ballot, but they will lose this appeal because my domicile is New York,” Kennedy affirmed.
In response, the DNC refuted Kennedy’s claims and labeled him as “a fraud through and through” running a “spoiler candidacy.”
RELATED STORY | RFK Jr. says he dumped a dead bear in New York’s Central Park a decade ago
