How RFK Jr.’s long-shot chance at White House works after campaign suspension – Washington Examiner
Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. recently announced his endorsement of former President Donald Trump while simultaneously opting to withdraw from ballots in key swing states. Although Kennedy will continue his campaign, this decision significantly limits the number of voters who can support him in the upcoming election. During his announcement, Kennedy expressed confidence that he could have won the election under a fair system.
Despite these challenges, there remains a theoretical pathway for Kennedy to win the presidency through what is known as a contingent election. This scenario could occur if he secures at least one electoral vote while neither Kamala Harris nor Donald Trump achieves the required 270 electoral votes. In such a case, the election decision would fall to Congress, where the House of Representatives would select the president, and the Senate would choose the vice president. This would allow for the possibility of congressional members from either party voting for Kennedy, essentially bypassing the need to appeal to millions of voters. However, the chances of this scenario unfolding remain highly unlikely.
How RFK Jr.’s long-shot chance at White House works after campaign suspension
Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced Friday he is endorsing former President Donald Trump and dropping off the ballot in key swing states.
He won’t be dropping out of the race, but it will cut into the number of voters who can choose him in November significantly. He said in his announcing press conference Friday he believes he would’ve won the election “in an honest system.” However, Kennedy could still technically win the White House with a contingent election. Here’s what that means:
If Kennedy receives at least one electoral vote and neither Vice President Kamala Harris nor former President Donald Trump reach 270 electoral votes, the presidential election will go to Congress to decide.
House congressional delegations would vote for the president, and the Senate would vote for the vice president. Both would need to come to a majority vote to elect either.
In that scenario, Republicans or Democrats could revolt against their candidate and vote for Kennedy, and he would only have to lobby a couple of hundred congressional members instead of millions of voters.
What makes the situation more than improbable is that even if this tie does happen, more likely than not, Republicans, who lead in House delegations 26-22, would choose Trump. Two states are tied, Minnesota and North Carolina.
For a tie to happen, Kennedy would need more than one electoral vote as well. He’d need at least two because a 269-269 tie gives no room for him to have a vote. That’d mean he’d either have to win two of the single-vote congressional districts in Maine or Nebraska or an entire state.
Either of those scenarios would be close to impossible but still not technically impossible.
The most likely impact of Kennedy’s campaign will be his withdrawal from all swing states. The public perception is that it will benefit Trump because Kennedy endorsed him, but it’s no guarantee. Trump’s campaign has already come out with their own numbers of how this will benefit them
Even if it’s a swing of a point or two to Trump or Harris in these states, Kennedy can make a massive difference with his withdrawal.
" Conservative News Daily does not always share or support the views and opinions expressed here; they are just those of the writer."
