In Boon to Trump, RFK Jr. Narrowly Meets Deadline to Withdraw from Maine’s Ballot

Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. narrowly met the Maine Secretary of State’s deadline to withdraw his name from the Pine Tree State’s presidential ballot on Tuesday evening.

The development will likely work to the benefit of former President Donald Trump, as Kennedy’s candidacy was largely regarded as taking votes away from the Republican candidate, whom Kennedy endorsed last Friday.

As of 4:30 p.m., Kennedy had not submitted the necessary paperwork to have his name removed from the Nov. 5 ballots.

[RELATED: Former Democrat Tulsi Gabbard Joins RFK in Endorsing Trump…]

The deadline for submitting the forms was 5:00 p.m., and Kennedy just barely got the paperwork in on time.

The Secretary of State’s Office confirmed just after the deadline that Kennedy’s paperwork had come through.

That means Kennedy’s name will no longer appear as an option on Maine’s Election Day ballots as a presidential candidate alongside Democratic candidate Vice President Kamala Harris and the Republican candidate, former President Donald Trump.

Given Kennedy’s endorsement of Trump, and the news that Kennedy will likely have a role in the Trump Administration should the Republican win another term in the White House, Kennedy’s absence from the ballot will likely provide a boost, albeit a small one, to Trump’s numbers in Maine.

The role of third party and independent candidates on the ballots in battleground states has become more contentious this year than in previous presidential elections, likely because of the broadly held view that the presidential election will likely be very close.

In several states where polling suggests Trump and Harris are virtually tied, operatives have filed lawsuits trying to remove candidates from the ballot whom they suspect will draw votes away from Harris.

[RELATED: Shenna Bellows Rules Cornel West Eligible to Appear on Maine’s Presidential Ballot…]

In Maine, as in other states, Democratic operatives working with Clear Choice Action filed lawsuits attempting to have progressive candidate Cornel West stricken from the ballot over alleged improprieties with the signature’s his campaign collected in order to get on the ballot.

Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows (D) last week rejected Clear Choice Action’s challenge, ruling that West will remain on the ballot.

Although the same activists initially filed a nearly identical lawsuit to have Kennedy removed from the ballot in Maine, the challengers withdrew the challenge just days after it was filed.

Simultaneously, left-wing operatives have attempted to force Kennedy’s name to remain on battleground state ballots under the theory that he might draw votes away from Trump and boost Harris’ chances of winning.

In Michigan, the Democrat Secretary of State denied Kennedy’s request to withdraw from the race.

Likewise, the Wisconsin Elections Commission voted 5-1 to force Kennedy’s name to remain on the ballot.

Polling from Rasmussen Reports released in the days following Kennedy’s endorsement of Trump suggest that Kennedy’s voters are most likely to break for Trump rather than Harris. If accurate, that polling would suggest that Kennedy’s presence on a given state’s ballot is more likely to siphon votes from Trump rather than Harris.

Although Kennedy’s support, as measured by various public opinion polls, has rarely exceeded five percent, those voters could easily provide the margin of victory for either of the major party candidates, depending on which way they break.

The ballot drama in Maine is but the latest procedural issue that has place Maine’s Secretary of State Shenna Bellows in the middle of the national spotlight.

Last year, Bellows decided unilaterally that she had the authority and the moral duty to block Trump from appearing on Maine’s primary and general election ballot.

The U.S. Supreme Court, however, disagreed, and promptly swatted away Bellows attempt the engineer a Trump-free ballot in Maine.

Although Maine’s governor’s office and the state legislature are both controlled by Democrats and Democrats enjoy a solid party enrollment advantage in the state, Maine’s rural Second Congressional District voted for Trump in 2016 and 2020.

Unlike other states, which award all of their Electoral College votes to the statewide winner in presidential elections, Maine apportions two votes to the statewide winner and one vote each to the winner of each congressional district.

In both the 2016 and 2020 presidential elections, former Trump managed to secure one Electoral College vote from Maine’s second congressional district.

Prior to President Joe Biden’s ouster from the Democratic ticket, there was considerable speculation among political pundits and operatives that Trump could potentially win statewide and collect three electoral college votes. However, that chatter has quieted somewhat with Harris apparent rise in the polls.