Robert F. Kennedy Jr. reportedly gains access to general election ballot in Iowa

WEST DES MOINES, Iowa (TND) — Hawkeyes may soon be able to vote for Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in the November general election after the independent presidential candidate secured access to the Iowa ballot Saturday afternoon.

Much like its signature electoral event, the Iowa Caucuses, the Hawkeye State has a slightly different process than other states for third-party candidates to get their names on the ballot. Many states require the candidate and or party they represent -- in RFK Jr.'s case, the "We the People" party -- to obtain a number of signatures from thousands of registered voters statewide (in Nevada it is equal to 1% of the total votes cast for the four House of Representatives seats in the last election) in order to show widespread support.

However, in Iowa, candidates seeking access to the general election ballot only need to convene 500 registered Iowa voters from across 25 counties. Kennedy made the push Saturday at his "Free Iowa Assembly" event in West Des Moines, by the end of which campaign staffers announced that they had assembled 686 delegates representing 35 counties. However, those numbers could not be immediately verified by The National Desk or other publications like the Associated Press.

Kennedy is seeking to upend the ever-increasing likelihood of a rematch between former President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden as both mainstream presidential candidates face disapproval and a general underwhelming reception from large swaths of the American electorate. While the 70-year-old environmental lawyer and anti-vaccine activist has made it clear he has little love for Trump, he accuses Biden and the Democrats of censoring free speech due to alleged -- and largely disproven -- orders by the administration for social media platforms like X, then Twitter, to censor alternative viewpoints on the COVID-19 pandemic and COVID vaccines.

“If you want more of the same, you should vote for them,” Kennedy said of Biden and Trump. “Does anybody here want more of the same?” A chorus of “no” responded.

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The Associated Press contributed to this report.