RFK Jr. Gets on Colorado Ballot As Libertarian Candidate

Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. gained ballot access Wednesday in Colorado by partnering with the state's Libertarian Party.

Colorado becomes the ninth state on which the 70-year-old scion of the Kennedy family political legacy has officially secured ballot access, according to his campaign.

"Thank you, Libertarian Party of Colorado and Chair Hannah Goodman for your visionary leadership in defense of freedom," Kennedy said in a news release issued by his campaign. "Together, we will win the White House and steadfastly protect the Bill of Rights, the First and Second Amendments, and all the foundational liberties they secure."

Last month, the state Libertarian Party reportedly did not submit paperwork for the party's presidential ticket of Chase Oliver and Mike ter Maat because the candidates didn't share the state party's core values, allowing it to partner with Kennedy and his running mate, California lawyer Nicole Shanahan.

"The Libertarian Party of Colorado partnership is a testament to Kennedy's unifying independent run and how the campaign is bringing this country together," Isaac James, state director of Colorado's Libertarian Party, said in the news release. "Our movement has universal appeal because of its common-sense values, rooted in the founding principles of our country, and its rejection of the divisive fear narratives used by the establishment parties to steal the wealth of our children and keep their corrupt hold on power."

Kennedy originally wanted to challenge President Joe Biden for the Democrat nomination but became discouraged with what he said were attempts by the Democratic National Committee to stifle his campaign. He decided last fall to run as an independent, and since then his campaign has undertaken the arduous task of gaining ballot access in every state.

The effort has led to Kennedy and Shanahan affiliating with other parties, such as the Natural Law Party in Michigan and the American Independent Party in California, to gain ballot access in those states.

The task is more difficult in other states. In New Hampshire, for instance, Kennedy in June filed a declaration of intent to get on the ballot but, according to the secretary of state's office, the campaign will need to turn in at least 3,000 nomination forms that have been signed by registered voters, 1,500 from each congressional district, by Aug. 7. Kennedy reportedly said he has more than 5,000 signatures, all collected on the day of the state's first-in-the-nation presidential primary on Jan. 23.