RFK Jr. Booted from New York Ballot Over Phony Residency Claim, Judge Rules

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s already slim chance of securing the presidency just took another hit. A New York judge ruled on Monday that the independent candidate won’t appear on the state’s ballot after being caught using a bogus New York address on his nominating petitions. Despite Kennedy’s claim, he’s been living comfortably in California, as reported by Fox News.

Judge Christina L. Ryba didn’t mince words in her 34-page decision, declaring that the 70-year-old Kennedy’s supposed New York residence wasn’t  a “bona fide and legitimate residence, but merely a ‘sham’ address that he assumed for the purpose of maintaining his voter registration.” He rented a room in Westchester County just to keep his voter registration alive and advance his political ambitions. The judge made it clear that this move was nothing short of a falsehood, leading to the petition’s invalidation.

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Kennedy’s attempt to play both sides—claiming a New York address while residing across the country with his wife, actress Cheryl Hines—was slammed by the judge. Ryba stated, “Using a friend’s address for political and voting purposes, while barely stepping foot on the premises, does not equate to residency under the Election Law. To hold otherwise would establish a dangerous precedent and open the door to the fraud and political mischief that the Election Law residency rules were designed to prevent.” Evidence showed that Kennedy had a habit of borrowing addresses from friends and family just to maintain his voter registration in New York while his real-life unfolded in California.

In a recent Ipsos survey, Kennedy is polling around 5% in key swing states like Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Georgia, but this ruling could further erode any support he had.

Clear Choice Action, a political watchdog, wasted no time in calling out Kennedy. They stated, “The Kennedy team will undoubtedly file desperate lawsuit after desperate lawsuit in the coming days and weeks; they will fail, and it will not change the simple truth: he lied, and he’s being held accountable.”

The ruling brings to mind other independent candidates who’ve shaken up presidential elections in the past, like Ross Perot in 1992, George Wallace in 1968, and Theodore Roosevelt back in 1912. But unlike those figures, it seems Kennedy’s bid is already fading into the background.