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A super PAC supporting President Joe Biden is contesting Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s claim of New York residency in his ballot petition, accusing the campaign of misrepresentation. Clear Choice, the PAC, argues in its complaint to the state’s Board of Elections that Kennedy has minimal ties to his New York residence and actually resides on the West Coast.
“The objectors have proven and, will continue to prove, by clear and convincing evidence that candidate Kennedy violated New York State law when he listed the petition residence on his presidential petitions, and therefore candidate Kennedy should be barred from seeking the public office of president of the United States,” reads the complaint.
Kathleen McGrath, a spokeswoman for the Board of Elections, stated to the New York Times that determining residency is “outside the ministerial scope” of the board’s petition review. “I will note that the courts and a judicial proceeding would be the appropriate venue for challenging his residency,” she added.
This challenge could impede Kennedy’s attempt to appear on the New York ballot as he works to meet the requirements for the June 27 CNN presidential debate, with a deadline of June 20 to qualify. Missing the New York ballot would be a significant setback for Kennedy, whose campaign has reportedly spent over $1.1 million on ballot access in the state, including paying “petition circulators” $90 per hour.
Kennedy’s campaign maintains that he has been a New York resident since 1968, having held several jobs in the state, including an early role as an assistant district attorney in Manhattan. Despite not owning his New York residence, he rents from a doctor friend in Westchester.
“Mr. Kennedy’s best friend invited him to move into his Croton Lake Road residence in which Mr. Kennedy had been a frequent guest,” the campaign explained. “Mr. Kennedy transferred his residence in June 2023.”
The issue is likely compounded by Kennedy’s ownership of a $5 million home in Malibu, California, with his wife, actress Cheryl Hines, purchased in 2013. The campaign insists that Kennedy is a New York resident, noting, “He receives mail there. His driver’s license is registered there. His automobile is registered there. His voting registration is from there.”
Kennedy’s campaign also emphasized, “He has never claimed any other state as a residency. He intends to move back to New York after his wife retires from acting.”
New York election law defines residency as “that place where a person maintains a fixed, permanent and principal home and to which he, wherever temporarily located, always intends to return.”
Kennedy has successfully secured spots on the ballot in seven states, including Utah, Michigan, and California, and claims to have met the criteria for nine more states, among them New Hampshire, Nevada, and North Carolina.
