RFK, Jr. likely on Oregon ballot

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is one step closer to appearing on ballots across Oregon this November.

All it took was a brand-new political party.

On Monday, August 12, the Oregon Secretary of State’s office verified that backers of the independent presidential candidate had gathered enough valid signatures to create a new minor statewide party.

Dubbed the “We The People” party, the political organization was created for the express purpose of nominating Kennedy and his running mate, Nicole Shanahan, for a slot on the ballot.

Now that the party has been certified, it must adopt bylaws, select officers, and conduct a nominating process by August 27, according to Laura Kerns, a spokesperson for Secretary of State LaVonne Griffin-Valade.

Officials in Washington state have approved including Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on the state’s ballot in November, something that Washington Democrats oppose.

It was unclear how the organization would go about the nomination. Jonathan Bradford Handley, a Portland financier who filed the petition to create the new party, did not respond to repeated inquiries about the party’s plans.

Kennedy is not the only third-party candidate slated to appear on the November ballot.

The Oregon Progressive Party has said it will nominate progressive activist and intellectual Cornel West.