TUCSON, Arizona (13 News) – Days later RFK Jr. announced that he is dropping out of the race. In some states he is struggling to disappear from the ballot, but not in Arizona.
This leaves it up to RFK supporters and independent voters in Arizona to decide where to cast their ballots in November.
“They are very disappointed that he dropped out. Whether they vote for Trump or just wait and see is the real question,” said Sean Noble, an Arizona-based political consultant.
In Arizona, more than 1.3 million voters are registered as independents or without party affiliation.
For months, many independents in Arizona saw RFK as their candidate for president.
“When Biden was the Democratic candidate, RFK did much better in the polls because many dissatisfied Democrats defected to RFK,” Noble said.
When Biden dropped out of the race, some voters turned to Democratic candidate Kamala Harris, while others continued to support Kennedy.
This was the case until Kennedy announced his withdrawal from the race and his support for Republican candidate Donald Trump.
Ed Ackerley of Tucson, who has run as an independent in the past, said that with Harris’ arrival, Kennedy’s vote began to dwindle.
“At one point I didn’t want any of the candidates. Now I think people have more choice. So the independent factor has taken a back seat compared to the major parties,” Ackerley said.
After Harris gained support, Trump began looking for an ally who could help him win votes in swing states like Arizona.
“That’s the main argument of the major parties: If you run as an independent, the other side is guaranteed to win. Why don’t you join us and we’ll form a coalition,” Ackerley said.
Noble said some independents would vote for Trump to succeed Kennedy, while others might choose another option.
“Others will say this is just going too far. Then they will either not vote for the president or they will vote for another third-party candidate because they will then have other options on the ballot,” Noble said.
Noble added that there is still time for independent voters to have a say in who wins in the state of Arizona.
“The voters who will decide who wins aren’t even paying attention,” he said. “So what the campaigns do in late September or early October as they enter the final stages of the election will be important.”
Noble also said many independents could turn to third-party candidates, which would make the race between Harris and Trump more exciting.
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