Independent candidate Kennedy faces obstacles to get on ballots nationwide and meet debate criteria.
Independent presidential hopeful Robert F. Kennedy Jr. seems set to miss CNN’s upcoming presidential debate due to unmet qualifying requirements, focusing attention on the next ABC News debate in September as his main chance to join major-party candidates President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump on stage.
Kennedy has not yet reached CNN’s polling requirement of 15% in at least four approved national polls, achieving this benchmark in only three so far. More importantly, Kennedy is falling short of meeting the network’s ballot access criteria, which requires him to be on enough state ballots to hypothetically win 270 electoral votes — a complex challenge for an independent candidate with differing state rules.
As an independent, Kennedy must navigate a variety of state regulations, many of which involve early deadlines and high signature counts. His campaign has not been submitting ballot petitions rapidly enough to meet CNN’s June 20 deadline for debate participation, although it is showing steady progress toward meeting the requirements for future debates later in the election cycle.
Without a spot on the CNN stage, Kennedy will miss a prime opportunity to boost his campaign in front of a national audience, leaving him at a disadvantage in media exposure compared to Biden and Trump. Kennedy’s campaign, however, is positioning his absence as evidence of a biased system that challenges political outsiders.
To further underscore this point, Kennedy’s team has already reserved $100,000 for national television ads to air on the day of the debate. This strategy may allow him to spotlight his grievances about the obstacles he faces in a high-profile way, drawing attention to his long-shot campaign despite his absence from the debate stage.
