RFK Jr. tells voters to pick Trump, not him, on Michigan ballot

(This story was updated to add new information.)
WALKER − Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. spoke at a rally for Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump on Friday, telling the crowd he supported Trump in part because he believed the former president would negotiate peace in the ongoing war in Ukraine.
Kennedy, whose uncle is the slain President John F. Kennedy and whose father is Robert F. Kennedy, who was assassinated during his run for president in 1968, was previously a candidate for president himself.
In August, he announced he was suspending his campaign but would attempt to remove his name from the ballot in 10 states, including Michigan, in an effort not to take votes away from Trump. 
But in Michigan and some other battleground states, election officials have kept Kennedy on the ballot. Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson said under state law, it was too late to remove Kennedy’s name. 
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Kennedy sued and was ultimately unsuccessful at the Michigan Supreme Court, where a ruling kept him on the ballot. He also sued in federal court, where a judge denied his ask, ruling that it was too close to the election to remove Kennedy’s name, since ballots were already being printed throughout the state; a decision he appealed.
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He told supporters Friday he ended his presidential campaign because he didn’t want to take votes away from Trump. 
“So far, they’ve won that battle,” Kennedy said, of recent litigation. “So, my name is going to appear on the Michigan ballot. But I don’t want you to vote for me. I want you to vote for Donald J. Trump.” 
On Friday, a U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals panel affirmed the decision to keep Kennedy’s name on the ballot in Michigan.
Contact Arpan Lobo: [email protected].
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