'We deserve more options': Internet divided as Robert F Kennedy Jr qualifies for ballot in California

SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA: Robert F Kennedy Jr, the independent presidential candidate, has successfully met the requirements to be included on the California ballot, as announced by his campaign on Monday, April 29.

According to The Hill, Kennedy, along with his running mate, Nicole Shanahan, received the endorsement of the American Independent Party (AIP) of California, the state that holds the largest number of electoral college votes in the country.

RFK Jr’s campaign team confirmed the submission of the necessary paperwork with California's secretary of state on Monday.

What did RFK Jr say about this major step in his bid to get on all 50 states’ ballots?

Kennedy Jr stated in a five-minute video that, ironically, although the AIP was initiated by segregationist and former Alabama governor George Wallace, it has now experienced a "rebirth" of its own.

“It’s been reborn as a party that represents not bigotry and hatred, but rather compassion and unity and idealism and common sense,” the 70-year-old independent presidential hopeful remarked.

He continued, “When they learned about my candidacy, they had just drafted a new charter for their reborn party where they could use their battle line for good for helping independent candidates to unite America without being blocked by the two-party duopoly.”

California has become the third state in which Kennedy Jr and Shanahan have officially qualified for the ballot, following Utah and Michigan.

Furthermore, they have managed to accrue enough signatures for ballot access in seven other states, including Nevada, Hawaii, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Idaho, Nebraska, and Iowa. 

Kennedy Jr, who switched from the Democratic to an Independent ticket last fall, seeks to appear on the ballot uniformly across the country against both President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump.

Kennedy Jr asserts that the presumptive party nominees are unfit to carry on, underscoring the critical importance of his candidacy for this upcoming general election.

His campaign team is looking to gather signatures across all 50 states before their respective deadlines.

However, experts say that a handful of key battleground states may be sufficient to potentially impact the outcome on Election Day. 

The environmental lawyer is presently polling ahead of other third-party candidates. However, his numbers drop when pitted against Biden and Trump in a polling aggregation by Decision Desk HQ and The Hill.

As of Monday, Kennedy Jr had garnered almost 8.5% of the vote, trailing far behind Trump, who had a little more than 42%, and Biden, who had nearly 41%.

Internet reacts as RFK Jr manages to get himself on California's ballot

One X user remarked, "Good. He should be on every single state ballot, whether you support him or not. We deserve more options."

Another user said, "Everyone should vote for him and not Biden."

Another user wrote, "That’s my president! @RobertKennedyJr."

One X user quipped, "And will be laughed off of it… #AlsoRan #CrayCrayRFKJr."

Another user asked, "Isn't that the state where his father was killed?"

Finally, this user tweeted, "RK Junior running on the far-right American Independence Party ticket is nothing to applaud. Unless you’re a racist who agrees with George Wallace."

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.