Vance says Kennedy remaining on Wisconsin ballot despite dropping out ‘ridiculous’ – WisPolitics

Republican Party vice presidential candidate J.D. Vance has called it “ridiculous” that Robbery F. Kennedy Jr. will remain on Wisconsin’s November ballot even though state law provides no way to honor his request to be removed.

During a visit to De Pere yesterday, Vance said, “A bunch of bureaucrats are going to keep his name on the ballot because they think it will hurt Donald Trump.”

“I think we’re going to win Wisconsin no matter what, and we’re going to fight for every vote,” Vance said.

Kennedy dropped out of the race last week and endorsed Trump. He also sent a letter to the state election commission asking to be removed from the Wisconsin ballot after he filed nomination papers earlier this month to be included. Agency officials noted that there was no mechanism in state law allowing Kennedy to withdraw his nomination papers after he filed them with the commission.

At Tuesday’s Election Commission meeting, GOP appointees initially pushed to grant Kennedy’s request, despite objections from Democrats that such a move was not allowed under state law. But after the commission deadlocked 3-3 on that motion, two GOP appointees joined the three Democrats in voting 5-1 to put him on the ballot.

During his appearance last night, Vance added that he is “thrilled” by the support of Kennedy and former U.S. Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard, D-Hawaii.

Vance answered questions from reporters and criticized Harris’s policies on the U.S. opioid crisis. Vance said Harris wants to let Mexican drug cartels do “whatever they want and wage war on U.S. law enforcement.”

“I think we need to empower U.S. law enforcement and go to war against the Mexican drug cartels,” Vance said.

Vance added that he wants to take a tougher stance on Chinese fentanyl production, which he says is being shipped to the U.S. According to Vance, Trump was on the verge of making a deal to stop fentanyl production in China toward the end of his presidency.

“And Kamala Harris let that languish,” Vance said. “Instead of fighting for the Americans, she continued to allow the communist Chinese to make this garbage.”

Ahead of Vance’s speech, Harris’ Wisconsin campaign team released a statement criticizing Vance for failing to mention his plan to help Wisconsinites during his appearance on The Dan O’Donnell Show yesterday.

“When your only plan for the people of Wisconsin is to raise taxes on the middle class by $3,900 a year, cut Social Security and Medicare, and take away reproductive freedom, it’s no wonder J.D. Vance doesn’t want to talk about his own agenda,” Kristi Johnston, director of the Wisconsin Democratic Coordinated Campaign Rapid Response, said in the statement.

It was Vance’s fourth trip to Wisconsin since he was officially nominated for vice president last month at the Republican Party convention in Milwaukee.

Trump will be in La Crosse tonight for a town hall meeting, his first visit to the state since the convention.

Watch the video of Vance’s speech.