Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who is running for president as an independent candidate, has filed papers to be on the ballot in Pennsylvania for the November election.
He did this six weeks before the Aug. 1 deadline. After this deadline, people can challenge his paperwork in court.
Both President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump are worried that Kennedy might affect the election results, especially in Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania is important because it’s the fifth most populated state in the country.
To get on the ballot in Pennsylvania, Kennedy needs to collect 5,000 signatures from registered voters.
Pennsylvania, with its 19 electoral votes, is a key state that has gone to different parties in the last two presidential elections. In 2016, Trump won Pennsylvania by 44,000 votes. In 2020, Biden won it by 81,000 votes.
In past elections, other independent candidates have gotten a significant number of votes in Pennsylvania. This is why the major parties are concerned about Kennedy’s campaign.
The two main political parties might challenge Kennedy’s petition in court. Both Trump’s and Biden’s campaigns are trying to present Kennedy as an opponent.
Kennedy, who used to be a lawyer for environmental causes and is known for being against vaccines, stopped running as a Democrat and is now running as an independent.
One of the big challenges for Kennedy is getting on the ballot in each state. This means he has to collect millions of signatures, which then have to be checked by election officials.
Kennedy’s campaign says he has met the requirements to be on the ballot in 22 states so far, but not all of these states have confirmed this yet.
The Associated Press contributed to this article.