MADISON — Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will stay on the presidential ballot in Wisconsin, a Dane County judge ruled on Monday.
The Kennedy campaign is expected to appeal the decision that could shift the outcome of the presidential race in a key battleground state.
Since suspending his campaign last month and endorsing former President Donald Trump, Kennedy has been working to remove his name from the ballot in swing states to avoid pulling votes from Trump.
The Wisconsin Elections Commission decided on Aug. 27 that Kennedy could not remove his name from the ballot. State law says the only way for a candidate to be taken off the ballot is if they die.
Watch: Judge says Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will stay on Wisconsin ballot
Kennedy sued the elections commission in response, asking the court to either order clerks to print ballots without his name on them or cover his name with stickers on existing ballots.
Dane County Circuit Court Judge Stephen Ehlke rejected that request on Monday, just two days before the statewide deadline for county clerks to print ballots.
“The bottom line here is Mr. Kennedy has no one to blame but himself if he didn’t want to be on the ballot,” Ehlke said. “He either knew or should have known, that [state law] is clear regarding the mandatory nature of inclusion on the ballot.”
