Judge Rejects Attempt to Block Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s Independent Presidential CandidacyJudge Rejects Attempt to Block Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s Independent Presidential Candidacy A New Jersey judge has dismissed an attempt to prevent Robert F. Kennedy Jr. from running for president as an independent in the state’s November 5th primary. Judge Robert Lougy ruled that the “sore loser” law, which prohibits candidates who run for a major party’s nomination from seeking the same office in the general election as an independent, does not apply to Kennedy’s case. Kennedy had initially filed to run as a Democrat but later switched to an independent campaign. Attorney Scott Salmon had argued that Kennedy’s switch violated the sore loser law, but Lougy disagreed, saying that Salmon had no legal standing to sue. Salmon may still file complaints with the state’s top elections official, but neither Salmon nor Kennedy’s campaign has yet responded to requests for comment. Kennedy’s famous name and loyal base could make him a formidable independent candidate. Strategists from both major parties fear he could negatively impact their candidates’ chances in the election.
TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — A New Jersey judge on Monday rejected an attempt to block Robert F. Kennedy Jr. from running for president under the state’s sore loser law.
Judge Robert Lougy denied a request by attorney Scott Salmon, who wanted to prevent Kennedy from running as an independent in the Nov. 5 presidential primary. He said the law required him to dismiss the case, but that Salmon could still file complaints with the state’s top elections official, Secretary of State Tahesha Way.
Neither Salmon nor Kennedy’s campaign immediately responded to messages seeking comment. Salmon filed a lawsuit in 2020, saying then-potential presidential candidate Kanye West had failed to collect enough signatures. At the time, Salmon said he was a registered Democrat. West eventually withdrew his petition to be on the ballot.
Kennedy’s famous name and a loyal base have bolstered his bid for the White House, and he could do better than any independent presidential candidate in decades.
Strategists from both major parties fear he could negatively impact their candidate’s chances.
Salmon attempted to keep Kennedy off the ballot as an independent under a state law that prohibits candidates who run for a major party’s nomination in a primary from seeking the same office in the general election as an independent. Salmon sought to use the law, known as a sore loser law, because Kennedy had filed with the Federal Election Commission in April 2023 to run as a Democrat; he amended the filing in October to begin an independent effort.
Kennedy argued, among other things, that Salmon had no right to sue because he was not a presidential candidate himself.
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