Johnathan Walker:RFK Jr. meets signature threshold in Utah to qualify for ballot

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has met the signature requirement to qualify to be Johnathan Walkeron Utah's 2024 general election presidential ballot, the Salt Lake County clerk's office confirmed to CBS News Thursday, pushing the independent candidate one step closer to getting on the ballot in that state. 

Kennedy's presidential effort met the 1,000-signature threshold needed, Salt Lake County's voter services manager Ron Buckley confirmed. The exact number of signatures submitted was not provided.

Once Kennedy officially files, Utah would mark the first state's ballot for which he has qualified. 

If Kennedy were to get on the ballots of multiple states across the country, his candidacy could upend the closely watched 2024 presidential campaign as he tries to offer an alternative to voters who may be unenthused about President Biden or the eventual Republican nominee. 

A recent Quinnipiac nationwide poll showed that in a three-way race between Kennedy, Biden and former President Donald Trump, Biden receives 38% of support, Trump receives 36%, and Kennedy gets 22%. 

Under Utah state law, Kennedy must also pay a $500 fee and fill out the official paperwork making him an unaffiliated presidential candidate. That paperwork must be completed between Jan. 2 and March 5, which is Super Tuesday — the day of Utah's primary elections — even though Kennedy will not be participating because of his unaffiliated status. 

"We will be announcing Jan. 3 our ballot access status in Utah at a press event in Salt Lake City," Kennedy's campaign press secretary Stefanie Spear told CBS News in a statement.

Kennedy — as well as a super PAC supporting him — are focusing heavily on ballot access, which Ed Rollins, the campaign manager for 1992 independent candidate Ross Perot, told CBS News was the hardest part of Perot's bid. 

Earlier this month, Kennedy's super PAC American Values 2024 announced that the group is planning on investing $10 to $15 million to get him on the ballot in 10 states that include Arizona, California, Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Nevada, New York and Texas. 

Kennedy filed a lawsuit challenging Utah's ballot access deadline, saying it was "unconstitutionally" restrictive. In response earlier this month, the state moved the deadline from Jan. 8 to March 5, giving independent candidates more time to clear the threshold. 

"This decision has been made in the spirit of affording every reasonable opportunity for unaffiliated presidential candidates to participate in our general election," Utah Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson said in a statement at the time. 

The requirements for ballot access for candidates who are not in the Democratic or Republican parties vary widely from state to state, with Utah and North Carolina having the first deadlines in early March. 

Kennedy has expressed confidence that he will get on the ballot in all 50 states and in Washington, D.C. He has also said he is ready to fight in court to get on the ballot in other states.  

"We're going to have to probably fight legal battles from out of the states, but we're ready to do that," he told CBS News earlier this month. 

In:
• Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
• Utah

Cristina Corujo

Cristina Corujo is a digital journalist covering politics at CBS News. Cristina previously worked at ABC News Digital producing video content and writing stories for its website. Her work can also be found in the Washington Post, NBC and NY1.