# If RFK, Jr. Drops out, how does this impact the election? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Tags:** trump\ **Created:** [August 21, 2024, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-rfk-jr-drops-out-how-does-this-impact-the-election/1006004 "2024-08-21T16:03:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2024, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-rfk-jr-drops-out-how-does-this-impact-the-election/1006004/21 "2024-08-21T21:13:54Z")
Yeah, how do you go from calling yourself a Democrat to flipping to independent to throwing your full support to a mentally-disabled criminal cult leader rapist Republican in less than a year? Cheryl Hines, have you filled those divorce papers yet? ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2024, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-rfk-jr-drops-out-how-does-this-impact-the-election/1006004/22 "2024-08-21T21:14:24Z")
> [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > The question remains: Why? Because it gets him attention. That’s the only reason behind anything he’s done. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2024, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-rfk-jr-drops-out-how-does-this-impact-the-election/1006004/23 "2024-08-21T21:19:14Z")
CNN says on the air RFK Jr will drop out of the race on Friday. No word if he will endorse Trump. Both Kennedy and Trump will be in Arizona Friday. ABC News says he will endorse Trump. > **[RFK Jr. expected to drop out of race by end of week, plans to endorse Trump:...](https://abcnews.go.com/US/rfk-jr-plans-drop-presidential-race-end-week/story?id=113028999)** > > Robert Kennedy Jr. is planning to drop out of the presidential race by the end of this week, sources familiar with the decision tell ABC News. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2024, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-rfk-jr-drops-out-how-does-this-impact-the-election/1006004/24 "2024-08-21T21:24:43Z")
If it’s attention he wants, why is he waiting until after the convention. Why not announce a few hours before Harris’ acceptance speech tomorrow? ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2024, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-rfk-jr-drops-out-how-does-this-impact-the-election/1006004/25 "2024-08-21T21:25:25Z")
The scuttlebutt I’ve been reading says that Trump, desperate for more votes, has been open to the idea of buying Junior’s votes by offering him a senior position in his administration in exchange for his endorsement, maybe even a Cabinet position. Trump doesn’t care that he’s a crazy wackadoodle – so is Trump himself, and so are most of his likely appointees. Junior probably sees it as an opportunity for power and relevance, as opposed to just unceremoniously losing the race and fading into obscurity. A true devil’s bargain for both; the only victim is America. ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2024, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-rfk-jr-drops-out-how-does-this-impact-the-election/1006004/26 "2024-08-21T21:31:06Z")
Nasty but (thankfully) unlikely thought: Trump ditches Vance and signs up Kennedy for the ticket. I suspect this is practically impossible, but I remain convinced there is a _quid pro quo_ someplace behind this announcement. (ETA: As @wolfpup speculates) ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2024, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-rfk-jr-drops-out-how-does-this-impact-the-election/1006004/27 "2024-08-21T21:37:11Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > Junior probably sees it as an opportunity for power and relevance, as opposed to just unceremoniously losing the race and fading into obscurity. A true devil’s bargain for both; the only victim is America. And grift. More power and attention = more donations to Children’s Health Defense = more millions for Junior. It’s too bad that Trump moved his official residence from N.Y. to Florida, and RFK Jr.'s phony attempt at N.Y. residency to get on the ballot was rejected. Otherwise, there’d be a chance of prosecution in N.Y. if it could be shown that Trump offered a high-level government position to Junior in exchange for an endorsement. There’s some precedent in N.Y. for that; even though it’s illegal by federal law to offer a job for political considerations, such cases are hard to prove and don’t get federally prosecuted. ---
**Author:** ![actualliberalnotoneofthose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e79b87/32.png) [@actualliberalnotoneofthose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/actualliberalnotoneofthose)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2024, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-rfk-jr-drops-out-how-does-this-impact-the-election/1006004/28 "2024-08-21T21:54:29Z")
If you follow 3rd Party politics at all there’s also a backstory where a MAGA-friendly group took over the Libertarian Party in 2022, removed their “anti-bigotry” plank, and made it a strategy to appeal to far-right podcasters and cowardly anonymous bigots on X. The Libertarian Party itself nominated an openly-gay former Democrat who espouses fairly plumline libertarian views. The LP leadership and their abhorrent groupies attacked him as a “groomer” who “wants to trans all the kids” while also openly worshipping a pro-confederate economist who started dating a 15 year-old girl when he was 26. Then the LP Chair pretty much openly endorsed Trump, after inviting him to the national convention (where he was booed by all except the MAGA-grifters), where she (allegedly, probably in her delusional mind) secured the promise of Trump to pardon some political prisoners and place a Libertarian to his cabinet. Then said LP Chair entered into a (possibly illegal) joint-fundraising committee with the RFK Jr campaign, where the Libertarian Party is paid a commission from RFK which will pay off the significant debts incurred for having Trump speak at the convention. If RFK endorses Trump and ends up in his cabinet, The Chair of the Libertarian Party will take “credit” for that and say it was her who masterminded “putting a Libertarian in the Cabinet.” Despite the fact that none of these people are libertarians and libertarian interest groups have previously sued Donald Trump (you know, the small government “outsider”) for using the government to steal property from private citizens to give to his businesses. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2024, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-rfk-jr-drops-out-how-does-this-impact-the-election/1006004/29 "2024-08-21T22:32:52Z")
> [@Happy\_Lendervedder](#): > > Yeah, how do you go from calling yourself a Democrat to flipping to independent to throwing your full support to a mentally-disabled criminal cult leader rapist Republican in less than a year? My money is on Brain-Eating Worms. Now excuse me. I found a Road-Kill Coyote a few days ago, and I’m Hangry! ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2024, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-rfk-jr-drops-out-how-does-this-impact-the-election/1006004/30 "2024-08-21T22:48:57Z")
It would be funny if Friday Trump announces Vance is quitting and RFK is his new running mate! I don’t think anything is impossible at this point. ---
**Author:** ![E-DUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/e-dub/32/403_2.png) [@E-DUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-DUB)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2024, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-rfk-jr-drops-out-how-does-this-impact-the-election/1006004/31 "2024-08-21T23:07:29Z")
trump: All these Republicans are endorsing Ka-MA-la. What will I do? RFK jr.: Hold my bear. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2024, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-rfk-jr-drops-out-how-does-this-impact-the-election/1006004/32 "2024-08-21T23:12:59Z")
> [@Procrustus](#): > > RFK, Jr. is getting the support of the crazies that don’t like Trump. That’s my take on it. The Republicans knew there would be a strong anti-Trump movement. So they wanted to have a safe outlet for that; a candidate who people could use to vote against Trump but who didn’t have any chance of actually winning. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2024, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-rfk-jr-drops-out-how-does-this-impact-the-election/1006004/33 "2024-08-22T00:45:13Z")
Currently trending on Twitter: “RFK Jr.” and “Maggots”. 🤔 ---
**Author:** ![Kolak\_of\_Twilo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kolak_of_twilo/32/73_2.png) [@Kolak\_of\_Twilo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kolak_of_Twilo)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2024, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-rfk-jr-drops-out-how-does-this-impact-the-election/1006004/34 "2024-08-22T02:25:19Z")
@Jackmannii The “maggots” probably has to do with [protesters in Chicago](https://abc7chicago.com/post/women-put-maggots-tables-food-dnc-breakfast-held-fairmont-hotel-sources-say-cpd-fbi-investigating/15214773/) who went in the breakfast area at one of the hotels where delegates were staying and dumped a bunch of maggots on tables. Charming, right? Not sure if it was on the food or where exactly. I am not going to let shenanigans by RFK Jr. and the Trump campaign make me fearful about what will happen. I doubt that many of his followers will go to Trump or Harris. Most are likely to not vote at all. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2024, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-rfk-jr-drops-out-how-does-this-impact-the-election/1006004/35 "2024-08-22T03:46:17Z")
> [@E-DUB](#): > > RFK jr.: Hold my bear. I did a Double-Take on this, then pissed myself laughing. 😆 ---
**Author:** ![CaveMike](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cavemike/32/16379_2.png) [@CaveMike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaveMike)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2024, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-rfk-jr-drops-out-how-does-this-impact-the-election/1006004/36 "2024-08-22T05:37:36Z")
If a candidate drops out in a week or so are they removed from the states’ ballots? Or do they have to petition to be removed? Or once they get on a ballot, they stay on? ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2024, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-rfk-jr-drops-out-how-does-this-impact-the-election/1006004/37 "2024-08-23T02:26:11Z")
That will depend by state. When Mel Carnahan was killed in a plane crash three weeks before the election, it was too late by Missouri law to replace his name on the ballot. When Paul Wellstone was killed even closer to the election, Minnesota law _required_ his name be removed be removed from the ballot. In that case, the name of the replacement candidate (Walter Mondale) was literally pasted over Wellstone’s name on ballots that had already been printed. ---
**Author:** ![CaveMike](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cavemike/32/16379_2.png) [@CaveMike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaveMike)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2024, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-rfk-jr-drops-out-how-does-this-impact-the-election/1006004/38 "2024-08-23T03:28:39Z")
Thanks, those are good examples of how two states handle a death very differently. * * * For the presidential office it’s the electors that are technically on the ballot, right? Does that mean the electors have to petition to be removed? It must be a non-trivial process to prevent mistakes. It can’t be a common case that a presidential candidate does all the work to get on a ballot and then asks to be removed. Is it possible states don’t even have a process? It seems like the safest course is to leave everyone that qualified on the ballot and let the voters and electors sort it out. ---
**Author:** ![CaveMike](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cavemike/32/16379_2.png) [@CaveMike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaveMike)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2024, 12:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-rfk-jr-drops-out-how-does-this-impact-the-election/1006004/39 "2024-08-23T12:12:16Z")
I guess Arizona has a process: > [@](#): > > But on Thursday, Kennedy, his running mate, Nicole Shanahan and all of their electors submitted notarized letters dated that day, withdrawing from the race in the state. > **[RFK Jr. withdraws from Arizona ballot as questions swirl around a possible...](https://apnews.com/article/rfk-jr-trump-speech-arizona-a2638f89ddcb5de03edbe4574ca17d45)** > > Robert F. Kennedy Jr. withdrew from the ballot in Arizona a day before he and Donald Trump were set to appear miles apart in the Phoenix area. ---
**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2024, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-rfk-jr-drops-out-how-does-this-impact-the-election/1006004/40 "2024-08-23T17:23:45Z")
Between the brain worms and the bear, how is this guy ever taken seriously? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-rfk-jr-drops-out-how-does-this-impact-the-election/1006004.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-rfk-jr-drops-out-how-does-this-impact-the-election/1006004.md?page=3)