RFK Jr. loses in first round of Libertarian Partyโs presidential nomination vote. Trump didnโt file paperwork to qualify
By Aaron Pellish, CNN 4:03 PM EDT, Sun May 26, 2024
Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was eliminated from contention for the Libertarian Partyโs presidential nomination during the partyโs convention Sunday.
In a surprise move earlier Sunday, Kennedy was put up for consideration as a nominee to represent the party in 2024, but he was eliminated in the first round of voting after receiving support from 19 delegates, or just 2.07% of delegates.
Kennedy, who spoke at the partyโs national convention in Washington, DC, on Friday, was nominated by a delegate Sunday on the convention floor, where his candidacy was met with boos from other delegates.
Donald Trump was also nominated on the convention floor Sunday, but Libertarian Party Chair Angela McArdle ruled the former president was not qualified because he did not submit nominating papers. Trump spoke Saturday at the convention, where he was loudly and consistently booed, particularly when he asked attendees to โnominate me or at least vote for me.โ
Trump received votes from six delegates as a write-in candidate. In a rebuke of the former president, adult film actress Stormy Daniels โ whose alleged affair with Trump is at the center of his hush money trial in New York โ received a vote from one delegate. (Trump has denied the affair and pleaded not guilty in the case.)
Candidates who received less than 5% of the vote were eliminated in the first round. In all subsequent rounds, the candidate with the lowest vote total will be eliminated.
Kennedy had accepted his nomination Sunday in a short video statement in which he thanked party members for the โunexpected honor.โ He said he hopes Libertarians will join โan allianceโ of third-party and independent voters to help his campaign defeat President Joe Biden and Trump.
โIโm very grateful to the Libertarian Party for this great honor, and I look forward to an alliance across the country, a fusion alliance of all of these independent parties who are now challenging the Republican-Democrat corrupt duopoly,โ Kennedy said.
Kennedyโs video was received with mild applause from a small group of delegates. His surrogates who made speeches touting his Libertarian candidacy ahead of his acceptance were met with loud boos from the audience.
Kennedy told CNN last week that he did not intend to seek the partyโs nomination at the convention this weekend.
Tim OโBrien, a Libertarian delegate from New Jersey, said he felt Kennedy was trying to use the party for his own gain without respecting its values.
โWeโve had a lot of people come into the party, theyโll run, theyโll make a big stink and then leave. And I guarantee you, he may come here; heโs not going to be here after the election,โ OโBrien said.
โWe want people that are willing to say, full force, โWeโre Libertarians, weโre staying with you guys,โโ he added. โHe has no need for us. He wants to get ballot access.โ
Kennedy, a former Democrat, began courting Libertarian officials even before he left his party to run as an independent, meeting with McArdle in July and February to discuss their shared beliefs.
The Libertarian ticket was seen as a possible pathway for Kennedy to circumvent ballot-access hurdles and take advantage of the partyโs access to ballots in dozens of states. Kennedy is on the ballot in six states so far, compared with 38 states for the Libertarians.
Kennedyโs running mate, Nicole Shanahan, told CNN ahead of her speech Sunday that the Libertarian Party is โmore relevant than everโ and that she hopes Libertarians and will work together with Kennedy.
โI think that thereโs a lot that we have in common, and I think that thereโs a lot of overlap here, and I think that thereโs a great deal of possibility of success of us working together,โ the Silicon Valley attorney and entrepreneur said. Shanahanโs comments mark the first time she has taken questions from a major news outlet since she joined Kennedyโs campaign in March.
Kennedy told CNN last week following a rally in Colorado that his views on the environment, foreign policy and Covid-19 will appeal to Libertarian voters.
โMy approach is a free-market approach, which appeals to Libertarians,โ he said. โIโm against war, which I think is another important issue for Libertarians. I support constitutional rights. President Trump dismantled our constitutional rights during Covid. So I think Libertarians are probably more inclined to support me if they follow their philosophies.โ
Kennedyโs support in national surveys has reached double digits โ at 16% in a CNN poll conducted last month by SSRS โ with strong indications that he is siphoning support from both Trump and Biden.
https://www.cnn.com/2024/05/26/politics/rfk-jr-nominated-libertarian-party/index.html