(NewsNation) — Robert F. Kennedy has collected enough signatures to appear on the 2024 presidential ballot in Utah, the state’s elections director said Wednesday.
1,000 signatures were required to qualify for the Utah ballot.
Kennedy can now officially file to run as a presidential candidate in Utah before the March 5 deadline, Elections Director Ryan Cowley said.
Utah is the first state where Kennedy is qualified for the ballot, campaign spokesperson Stefanie Spear told the Associated Press.
An environmental lawyer known for his anti-vaccine views, Kennedy is running for president as an independent after dropping a Democratic bid in October.
A nephew of Democratic President John F. Kennedy and son of former senator and U.S. Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, he rose to prominence during the COVID-19 pandemic for his embrace of public health conspiracy theories.
Political analysts have wondered whether Kennedy would be a spoiler candidate for the Democratic and Republican nominees. NewsNation partner The Hill reports he leads the pack of 2024 presidential candidates in a Harvard CAPS-Harris survey published in November. About 52% of those who took the survey said they had a favorable opinion of Kennedy.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
