In an exciting development, Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s campaign has successfully qualified for the ballot in North Carolina, adding yet another battleground state to their list for the upcoming November elections. The independent candidate's campaign proudly announced that they have gathered enough signatures to list Kennedy as a contender for the White House through the "We The People" party, with an impressive 23,000 pledges of support in the purple state.

Stefanie Spear, the press secretary for Kennedy's campaign, expressed confidence in their ability to make an impact in North Carolina, stating, "We have the field teams, volunteers, legal teams, paid circulators, supporters, and strategists ready to get the job done." This news is particularly significant as North Carolina is widely regarded as a crucial swing state for all parties in the 2024 elections, including potential third-party tickets.

The state was won by former President Trump in 2020, albeit by just over 1 percentage point, giving Republicans a slim advantage. However, this close margin has inspired Democrats to make a strong push to win North Carolina this time around. With Kennedy's addition to the ballot, the race is expected to become even more competitive.

North Carolina now marks the fifth state in which Kennedy's campaign has qualified for the ballot, joining Utah, New Hampshire, Hawaii, and Nevada. However, in Nevada, there were concerns raised about whether Kennedy would need to gather additional signatures after passing the signature threshold but lacking a declared vice president on the ticket.

To bolster his campaign's ballot access strategy, Kennedy has chosen Nicole Shanahan as his running mate. Shanahan's background as a tech lawyer and her previous marriage to the co-founder of Google are viewed as tactical assets. The campaign hopes that her presence on the ticket will provide more voters with a compelling reason to support their ballot access push.

With Kennedy's growing presence in key battleground states and the addition of Nicole Shanahan as his running mate, the upcoming November elections promise to be intriguing and closely contested. Voters in North Carolina and across the nation will have the opportunity to consider a third-party candidate and potentially reshape the political landscape.