{"id":2342331,"date":"2024-09-17T14:16:01","date_gmt":"2024-09-17T18:16:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/dems-plan-to-keep-rfk-jr-on-wi-ballot-comes-down-to-wire\/"},"modified":"2024-09-17T14:18:21","modified_gmt":"2024-09-17T18:18:21","slug":"dems-plan-to-keep-rfk-jr-on-wi-ballot-comes-down-to-wire","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/dems-plan-to-keep-rfk-jr-on-wi-ballot-comes-down-to-wire\/","title":{"rendered":"Dems&#8217; Plan To Keep RFK Jr. On WI Ballot Comes Down To Wire"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">26<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fdems-plan-to-keep-rfk-jr-on-wi-ballot-comes-down-to-wire%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2342331&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>An \u200dappeal \u2063is underway to honor Robert F. Kennedy Jr.&#8217;s request to have \u2064his name\u2062 removed from the \u2064Wisconsin general election ballot. This comes after a ruling from Dane County Circuit Court, which sided with the Wisconsin\u200c Elections Commission&#8217;s\u2064 earlier decision \u200bthat mandated Kennedy remain on\u2064 the ballot\u2062 despite his suspension of the presidential campaign and endorsement of Donald Trump. The\u200c judge, Stephen Ehlke, cited state law prohibiting \u2062candidates from \u2064withdrawing after filing nomination papers.<\/p>\n<p>Kennedy&#8217;s legal team argues that he\u2063 is being treated unfairly as a third-party candidate and that the electoral\u2063 system \u200bfavors major parties over independents, pointing \u200bout that\u2062 major party candidates have more flexibility \u2062in\u200d withdrawal timelines. As overseas ballots are set\u2062 to\u200b be sent\u2064 out, Kennedy&#8217;s appeal is critical as it highlights potential political maneuvering by Democrats to use his presence\u200d on \u200bthe \u2062ballot to siphon\u2063 votes from Trump in\u200c key\u2062 battleground states. \u200bThe\u2064 appeal also \u200dasserts that the rules governing ballot access disproportionately disadvantage third-party candidates\u200d like \u200dKennedy, exacerbating perceived\u2064 injustices in the electoral process.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>The clock is ticking on an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wispolitics.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/240909Appeal.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">appeal<\/a> that aims to honor former independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr.&rsquo;s wishes to have his name removed from swing state Wisconsin&rsquo;s general election ballot &mdash; as the Democratic National Committee plays political games for electoral advantage.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Attorneys representing RFK Jr. have appealed Monday&rsquo;s <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/robert-kennedy-jr-wisconsin-ballot-9708157800effdd26152fda8711ed7a9\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">ruling<\/a> in Dane County Circuit Court. The lower court judge agreed with the Wisconsin Elections Commission&rsquo;s <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/08\/28\/dems-are-fighting-to-keep-rfk-jr-on-swing-state-ballots-as-potential-spoiler-against-trump\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">previous 5-1 ruling<\/a> that the ex-candidate must remain on November&rsquo;s ballot.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Dane County Judge Stephen Ehlke found state law bars candidates from exiting the race after they&rsquo;ve filed nomination papers. Ehlke said there are no exceptions.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;However, courts are required to apply the law as written, not as some party wishes it were written,&rdquo; Ehlke said, according to a <a href=\"https:\/\/wisconsinexaminer.com\/briefs\/dane-county-judge-rejects-rjk-jr-attempt-to-get-off-presidential-ballot\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">story<\/a> in the leftist Wisconsin Examiner.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Overseas ballots are expected to begin being sent out tomorrow morning, so much hinges on the appeals court&rsquo;s decision on the petition seeking an injunction.<\/p>\n<p>RFK Jr.&rsquo;s appeal before the Second District Court of Appeals in Waukesha asserts the former candidate is being treated differently, and unconstitutionally so &mdash; in the pursuit of Democrat Party political games.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The scion of America&rsquo;s famous Kennedy family <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/08\/23\/rfk-jr-drops-out-of-2024-race-endorses-trump-for-president\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">suspended his presidential campaign<\/a> last month and endorsed former president and GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump. Kennedy believes &mdash; and Democrats know &mdash; that having his name on the ballot could take critical votes away from Trump, particularly in battleground states like Wisconsin.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The original <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wispolitics.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/240909Appeal.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">motion<\/a> to appeal, filed last week, argues that RFK Jr. is being treated differently as a third-party candidate. In fact, the appeal argues the whole system is out of order.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Here, Wisconsin deadlines for ballot access. &hellip; hamstring third-party candidates, while giving Democrats and Republicans a greater opportunity to disassociate from a candidate or for a candidate to disassociate from the campaign &mdash;&nbsp; as [President Joe] Biden did,&rdquo; the filing asserts. Biden, following his disastrous debate with Trump in late June, bowed out of the presidential contest despite having easily secured the delegates to win the Democrats&rsquo; nomination. He was replaced by his unpopular vice president, Kamala Harris.<\/p>\n<p>State <a href=\"https:\/\/docs.legis.wisconsin.gov\/statutes\/statutes\/8\/15\/6\/b\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">law<\/a> allows the two major parties until 5 pm. &ldquo;on the first Tuesday in September preceding a presidential election&rdquo; to certify the names of their nominees with the Wisconsin Elections Commission. Independent candidates must commit a full month earlier.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s worth adding (for a third time) that Kennedy had to withdraw <em>before<\/em> the DNC had even announced its candidate or his opponent,&rdquo; the motion states.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Historically, the law has been questioned by Wisconsin&rsquo;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/after-whitmer-ally-rejects-call-for-investigation-gop-hints-at-funding-special-prosecutor\/\" title=\"After Whitmer Ally Rejects Call For Investigation, GOP Hints At Funding Special Prosecutor\">top law enforcement official<\/a>. The motion cites a 1980 opinion in which Wisconsin&rsquo;s attorney general weighed in on a move to keep the Natural Law Party&rsquo;s scandal-plagued vice presidential nominee on the ballot. The attorney general said doing so &ldquo;<em>presented a substantial disability for his campaign<\/em>.&rdquo;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;[T]he voters don&rsquo;t benefit from different rules for different parties, and for that matter, the Equal Protection Clause doesn&rsquo;t allow it,&rdquo; argues the petition, filed in the Waukesha court last week.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>But <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/as-bad-as-dobbs-randi-weingarten-laments-end-of-affirmative-action\/\" title=\"Randi Weingarten mourns the end of affirmative action, comparing it to the negative impact of Dobbs.\">equal protection means<\/a> nothing to a Democrat Party bent on keeping RFK Jr. on swing-state ballots to draw as many votes from Trump as possible. The DNC has fought tooth and nail against RFK Jr.&rsquo;s request to withdraw while working as hard to drive the competing leftist Green Party ticket off the ballot to bolster Harris and running mate Tim Walz&rsquo;s chances in what is expected to be a narrowly contested election.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;In the no-holds barred world of presidential elections, few things should come as a surprise. Yet, the Commission (again, made up of appointees from the two major parties) has accomplished that. It&rsquo;s used Kennedy, a third-party candidate, as a means of creating voter confusion,&rdquo; the petition argues. &ldquo;And it has done so by creating a tiered system for a politician&rsquo;s ability to withdraw from the ballot; it has done so by compromising Kennedy&rsquo;s First Amendment rights.&rdquo;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<hr>\n<p>      Matt Kittle is a senior elections correspondent for The Federalist. An <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-knew-100-percent-he-was-fighting-for-the-little-guy-former-top-trump-economic-adviser\/\" title=\"Trump Knew \u2018100 Percent\u2019 He Was \u2018Fighting for the Little Guy\u2019: Former Top Trump Economic Adviser\">award-winning investigative reporter<\/a> and 30-year veteran of print, broadcast, and online journalism, Kittle previously served as the executive director of Empower Wisconsin.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Time is running out on an appeal that seeks to respect former independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr.&#8217;s request to have his name taken off Wisconsin&#8217;s general election ballot, as the Democratic National Committee engages in political maneuvering for electoral gain. Lawyers for RFK Jr. have challenged a ruling from Dane County Circuit Court made on Monday, where the judge sided with the Wisconsin Elections Commission&#8217;s earlier 5-1 decision that mandates the ex-candidate remain on the November ballot. Judge Stephen Ehlke stated that state law prohibits candidates from withdrawing after submitting their nomination papers and noted there are no exceptions to this rule. &#8220;However, courts must enforce the law as it is written, not as any party wishes it were,&#8221; Ehlke remarked, according to a report by the left-leaning Wisconsin Examiner.<\/p>\n<p>With overseas ballots set to be dispatched tomorrow morning, much depends on how quickly the appeals court responds to a petition seeking an injunction. RFK Jr.&#8217;s appeal at Waukesha&#8217;s Second District Court of Appeals claims he is being treated unfairly and unconstitutionally in light of Democratic Party strategies. The member of America&#8217;s renowned Kennedy family suspended his presidential campaign last month and endorsed former president Donald Trump, believing\u2014along with Democrats\u2014that his presence on the ballot could siphon crucial votes away from Trump in key states like Wisconsin.<\/p>\n<p>The initial appeal motion filed last week contends that RFK Jr., as a third-party candidate, faces different treatment compared to major party candidates and argues that this discrepancy undermines fairness within the electoral system. It points out how Wisconsin\u2019s deadlines for ballot access hinder third-party candidates while allowing Democrats and Republicans more flexibility in distancing themselves from their nominees or withdrawing altogether\u2014citing President Joe Biden\u2019s exit from contention after a poor debate performance despite having secured enough delegates.<\/p>\n<p>State law permits major parties until 5 p.m. on the first Tuesday of September before a presidential election to certify their nominees with state election officials; independent candidates must do so at least one month earlier. The motion emphasizes that Kennedy had to withdraw before even knowing who would be running against him or who would represent his own party.<\/p>\n<p>Historically, this law has faced scrutiny from Wisconsin\u2019s top legal authority; past opinions have indicated such regulations can disadvantage certain campaigns significantly. The motion argues against unequal treatment among parties underlined by constitutional protections: \u201cVoters don\u2019t benefit when different rules apply,\u201d it asserts.<\/p>\n<p>Nonetheless, equal protection seems irrelevant when it comes to maintaining RFK Jr.\u2019s name on swing-state ballots aimed at drawing votes away from Trump\u2014a strategy fiercely opposed by DNC efforts against his withdrawal while simultaneously trying to eliminate competition from leftist Green Party candidates who could threaten Harris and Tim Walz\u2019s chances in what promises to be a tightly contested race.<\/p>\n<p>In what has become an intense arena of presidential politics where surprises are commonplace, critics argue that commissions composed mainly of appointees from major parties exploit third-party candidates like Kennedy for voter confusion purposes through inconsistent withdrawal rules\u2014ultimately infringing upon Kennedy&#8217;s First Amendment rights<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":656,"featured_media":2342332,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Copy-of-Untitled-2024-09-17T130139.970.png","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[546],"tags":[3933,32458,38150],"class_list":["post-2342331","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-federalist","tag-dems","tag-rfk-jr","tag-wisconsin-ballot"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Copy-of-Untitled-2024-09-17T130139.970.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2342331","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/656"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2342331"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2342331\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2342332"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2342331"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2342331"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2342331"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}