Election setback for RFK Jr.: New York ruling would keep him out of Empire State ballot box

Robert Kennedy Jr. recently claimed he would be on the ballot in each and every one of the 50 states. The independent candidate for president told Fox News the following, "Right now we have enough signatures to be in all 50 states, so...we've turned in most of them, some of the states aren't certified yet, but we're going to be on the ballot in all 50 states, for sure." In the last few hours, however, the state of New York seems poised to thwart that claim.

It turns out that Judge Christina Ryba ruled Monday, Aug. 12, that Kennedy falsely claimed to have a New York residence in his nominating petitions, thus invalidating the documents needed to gain ballot access in the Empire State. The decision is expected to be appealed.

As reported from AP, this "could lead to challenges in other states where he used an address in the New York City suburbs to gather signatures".

The lawsuit was originally filed by a Democratic-aligned political action committee, which claimed that Kennedy's filed paperwork falsely presented a Katonah residence, alleging that the candidate has actually lived in Los Angeles since 2014.

During the four-day trial, the candidate said he began living inNew York when he was 10 years old and currently rents a room in a friend's house in Katonah, about 40 miles north of midtown Manhattan. However, he remarked that he slept there once due to his constant campaign trips.

Despite Kennedy's claims of qualifying in every state, his campaign has suffered lawsuits and other court challenges in states such as North Carolina and New Jersey.

However, the candidate maintains that his voter base has a very high level of enthusiasm for his candidacy. "Those Americans want to see me on the ballot. They want to have a choice," he asserted.