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RFK Jr. files FEC complaint after being barred from presidential debate in Atlanta – WSB-TV Channel 2

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ATLANTA — Third-party presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. says his campaign will file a complaint with the Federal Election Commission after he was barred from doing so. at the CNN presidential debate scheduled for June 27 here in Atlanta.

“We believe that if the FEC enforces the law, they will find that there was – you know, there is also evidence, strong evidence, which has been reported in the mainstream media, of collusion between the Trump campaign and the Biden campaign – particularly the Biden campaign – and CNN,” Kennedy said.

CNN said candidates will be invited if they earned a spot on the ballot in states with at least 270 Electoral College votes, the minimum needed to win the presidency, and if they reached 15 percent. in four reliable polls published since March 13. The criteria mirror those used by the Commission on Presidential Debates, the nonpartisan group that has organized the debates since 1988, except that the commission’s first debate would have taken place in September, giving Kennedy more time.

Kennedy does not yet appear to have met the poll’s criteria, although he has reached 15 percent or higher in at least two polls meeting CNN’s standards.

To advance to the first stage of the debate, he will need to secure a spot on the voting rolls in at least a dozen additional states and improve his performance in national polls within a month.

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With a famous name and a loyal base, Kennedy has the potential to do better than any third-party presidential candidate since Ross Perot in the 1990s. The Biden and Trump campaigns, who fear he could play a role as spoiler, bypassed the nonpartisan debate commission and agreed to a schedule that leaves Kennedy with very little time to qualify for the first debate.

Publicly, Kennedy expresses confidence in his ability to perform on stage.

“I look forward to holding Presidents Biden and Trump accountable for their results in Atlanta on June 27 to give Americans the debate they deserve,” he posted on the X platform.

Kennedy’s campaign says he has collected enough signatures in Idaho, Iowa, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio and Texas, states with 112 electoral votes in total. But either he hasn’t submitted the signatures or they haven’t yet been confirmed by state election officials.

These states still only have a total of 201 electoral votes.

Political experts said Channel 2 Action News that Georgia will be a key player again in November.

“Georgia is indeed important. This is a must-win state, I think, for both Trump and Biden. I can’t imagine winning the presidency this year without carrying Georgia, it’s that important. Kerwin Swint, professor of politics at Kennesaw State University said.

CNN said no audience would be in attendance and debate moderators would be announced at a later date.

Trump and Biden also accepted an invitation from ABC News for a debate in September.

The Associated Press contributed to this article.

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