Robert F. Kennedy Jr. speaking at an event/Photo by Gage Skidmore (cropped photo) — Creative Commons license.
Supporters of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s presidential bid are collecting signatures in Amarillo in hopes of getting the independent candidate on the November ballot.
Last week, Kennedy supporters were collecting signatures outside of the Santa Fe Building in downtown Amarillo. Voters who are registered to vote in Texas, and who have not voted in a primary or participated in a convention of another party, are eligible to sign Kennedy’s petition.
Kennedy, an attorney from California, is a member of the famous Kennedy family, which has already spawned a president, several senators, and cabinet-level officials. The environmental lawyer and his running mate, Nicole Shanahan, are seeking ballot access as independents, hoping to challenge Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Joe Biden in the November election.
According to the latest polls in Texas, Kennedy is running a distant third behind the major party nominees, but is still collecting a significant chunk of the vote. A new poll from the Texas Hispanic Policy Foundation showed Trump leading in a five-way race, holding 46 percent of the vote. Following Trump is Biden at 34 percent, Kennedy at 9 percent, Green Party candidate Jill Stein at 2 percent, and Libertarian Chase Oliver at 1 percent.
Kennedy has until June 27th to collect and turn in the necessary 113,151 signatures to make the ballot in Texas.