RFK Jr. withdraws from Arizona ballot amid questions about campaign

Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. filed paperwork late Thursday to take himself off the ballot in Arizona amid questions about the future of his campaign.

“RFK Jr.’s campaign filed official paperwork with our office today withdrawing him from AZ’s 2024 election,” Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes (D) said Thursday in a post on the social platform X.

Fontes’s office had confirmed to The Hill on Wednesday that Kennedy had made it onto the ballot in the Grand Canyon State. 

Earlier this week, The Hill reported Kennedy insiders were going to discuss campaign developments Wednesday. ABC News also reported Kennedy might exit the race by the end of the week and was thinking of supporting former President Trump.

Kennedy announced Wednesday that he would address the nation Friday about his political future. His campaign said the speech, at 2 p.m. EDT in Phoenix, would center on “the present historical moment and his path forward.”

Trump’s campaign said the former president will be joined later Friday by a “special guest” at a rally in Arizona.

“President Trump will be joined by a special guest as he delivers remarks about his America First policies and his vision to lower inflation and the cost of living, secure the border, and make our cities safe again,” the Trump campaign said in a press release.

Trump said Thursday that he would be “honored” by a Kennedy endorsement.

Donald Trump Jr., the former president’s son, said Wednesday that he is in favor of having Kennedy be a part of a government agency and allowing him to “blow it up.”

“I loved the idea, love the idea of giving him some sort of role in some sort of major three-letter entity or whatever it may be and let him blow it up,” Trump Jr. said on “The Glenn Beck Program.”

“I think that’s what we need. And so, I think that kind of unity, even where there may be certain disagreements on certain things, I think he could be a really great asset for that.”

The Hill has reached out to the Kennedy campaign and Fontes’s office regarding the latest developments.