Robert F. Kennedy Jr. says he has the signatures to run in Texas. Here's how that could hurt Ted CruzLong-shot independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. expects to submit enough signatures by Monday’s deadline to qualify for a spot on the state’s ballot, a move that could reshape the November election.
Kennedy campaign spokesperson Stefanie Spear said the campaign has collected the 113,000 requisite signatures, plus at least a 60% buffer, and she is confident he will be on the ballot in Texas. Kennedy is expected to hold a rally in Austin on Monday night.
In a Republican-majority state where former President Donald Trump is the clear favorite, Kennedy is unlikely to have an impact at the top of the ticket — but he could play a role in U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz’s reelection bid, said Mark Jones, a political science professor at Rice University who recently did polling on this issue.
The poll, conducted last month by Rice’s Baker Institute and the Texas Hispanic Policy Foundation, found that with or without Kennedy on the ballot, Trump holds a commanding 12-point lead over President Joe Biden.
Cruz, however, saw his advantage over his Democratic opponent, U.S. Rep. Colin Allred, drop to just 5 percentage points with Kennedy on the ballot.
Jones said that’s in part because Kennedy voters prefer Allred over Cruz.
“Many of the RFK Jr. voters are disaffected with the current status quo in Washington, and disaffected with the current Democratic Party and the Republican Party,” Jones said. “When these Kennedy voters look at the Senate race, the person who seems to be not as strongly identified with the current very polarized political system that we live in is Allred, compared to Cruz.”...............
https://www.houstonchronicle.com/politics/texas/article/kennedy-ballot-signatures-ted-cruz-19449631.php
