Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will be on the presidential ballot in California, his campaign said Monday, having secured the nomination of the American Independent Party, a minor party with a history of insurgent independent candidacies: Its first presidential nominee, in 1968, was the Alabama governor and segregationist George C. Wallace.
California is the fourth state where Mr. Kennedy, who is running as an independent, is all but assured a spot. The secretary of state’s office does not certify candidates until late August, the office said, but confirmed that Mr. Kennedy’s campaign filed paperwork on Monday.
California has the most electoral votes of any state, with 54, and it has particular resonance for the Kennedy campaign. Mr. Kennedy lives in Los Angeles, and his running mate, Nicole Shanahan, is a Silicon Valley lawyer and investor.
Mr. Kennedy, 70, is on the ballot in Utah as an independent, and two weeks ago he gained access to the ballot in Michigan, a critical battleground state, through the nomination of another minor party. In Hawaii, a newly formed political party set up for the express purpose of nominating Mr. Kennedy was granted ballot access earlier in April.
Mr. Kennedy’s campaign says it has enough signatures to reach the ballot in six other states, including North Carolina, New Hampshire and Nevada. The campaign is gathering signatures using paid petitioners and volunteers in other states, including in New York.
