A Democratic group is accusing independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and the main super PAC supporting him of illegally coordinating with each other to get him on the ballot.
Third Way, a centrist Democratic think tank that warns that third-party candidates could spoil the re-election chances of President Joe Biden in November, wrote to the secretaries of state in Arizona, Georgia and Michigan on Friday urging them not to accept any signatures gathered by the super PAC to help Kennedy.
The pro-Kennedy super PAC, American Values 2024, has announced plans to spend at least $15 million to help Kennedy get on the ballot, hiring at least three canvassing firms to gather signatures on his behalf in multiple states.
Attorneys from the powerhouse Democratic election law firm Elias Law Group, representing Third Way, argue that it is impossible to steer clear of federal rules barring coordination between a candidate and a super PAC while simultaneously complying with state laws that they say require candidates themselves to submit signatures for ballot access.
"Americans are tired of the establishment resorting to legal threats against their political opponents and deserve a leader who is asking for their vote based on the issues that affect their lives." Tony Lyons, the super PAC's president and Kennedy's book publisher, said Democrats "Know their candidate can't win arguments in marketplace of ideas and are therefore waging an all-out assault on voting rights." "Precedent speaks volumes. As exemplified by Deleeuw v. State Board of Canvassers in Michigan, a case firmly upheld by the Supreme Court, the act of collecting signatures and submitting them on behalf of a candidate is not just a civic duty but an exercise of our First Amendment rights," Lyons added.
Kennedy's official campaign has said it is relying mainly on volunteers to collect signatures for its ballot drive, while his allied super PAC has said it will step up by hiring canvassers.
"Any campaign would love to outsource ballot access to a super PAC," said Matt Bennett, the executive vice president of Third Way.
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-election/rfk-jr-super-pac-ballot-democrats-illegal-rcna139261
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