ATLANTA (AP) — Three independent and third-party candidates got one step closer to appearing on Georgia's presidential ballot on Tuesday. But legal challenges still loom.
Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger announced that officials have verified that independents Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Cornel West and Claudia De la Cruz of the Party for Socialism and Liberation each collected more than the 7,500 signatures needed to qualify.
Raffensperger said 11,336 signatures were accepted for Kennedy after county election officials reviewed petitions, while 8,075 were accepted for Cornel West and 7,682 were accepted for De la Cruz.
While Democrats, Republicans and Libertarians have secure places on the Georgia ballot, other parties and independent candidates can qualify by petition.
But Georgia Democrats are still legally challenging efforts to place the three candidates and Green Party nominee Jill Stein on Georgia's ballots. It is part of a nationwide effort to block candidates who could siphon votes from Vice President Kamala Harris.
Hearings on the Georgia challenges are scheduled to begin Monday. After an administrative law judge makes a recommendation, Raffensperger will issue a final ruling. A decision must be made in time for Georgia to mail military and overseas ballots beginning Sept. 17.
While some other states routinely put minor-party and independent candidates on ballots, Georgia voters haven’t had more than four options since 1948. The last time there were any candidates besides a Republican, Democrat and Libertarian was in 2000, when independent Pat Buchanan qualified.
Kennedy was kicked off New York's ballot earlier this week when a judge ruled that the address in New York City’s suburbs that Kennedy listed as a residence on nominating petitions was a “sham” address he used to maintain his voter registration and to further his political aspirations. The judge ruled in favor of challengers who argued Kennedy’s actual residence was the home in Los Angeles he shares with his wife, the “Curb Your Enthusiasm” actor Cheryl Hines. Kennedy has vowed to appeal
It is unclear if Kennedy's home address will be an issue in the Georgia hearings. Democrats have alleged that all the petitions followed improper procedures, making them invalid. The Kennedy campaign's Paul Rossi said in a July 31 online news conference that there was nothing wrong with the campaign's petitions, with Rossi describing the allegations as “throwing spaghetti at the wall.”
“Because they can’t challenge the signatures, they’ve made allegations which are simply not correct at all,” Rossi said.
Until this year, the only road to getting on the ballot in Georgia was by collecting signatures from 7,500 registered voters statewide. But Georgia's Republican-majority legislature passed a law directing the secretary of state to also place on the ballot candidates of any party that makes ballots in at least 20 other states. That move was widely interpreted as trying to make trouble for Biden, although former President Donald Trump's Republican campaign has also regarded the Kennedy campaign with suspicion.
The Green Party, which has nominated Stein, says it aims to make Georgia ballots using the 20-state rule.
FILE - Former Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein waits to speak at a board of elections meeting at City Hall in Philadelphia, Oct. 2, 2019. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)
FILE - Scholar and activist Cornel West, who is running for U.S. president as a third-party candidate in 2024, speaks on Saturday, July 15, 2023, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes, File)
FILE - Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., center right, leaves the Albany County Courthouse, Aug. 6, 2024, in Albany, N.Y. (AP Photo/Hans Pennink, File)
NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks fell Monday as a strong year for the market looks set to end on a sour note.
The S&P 500 fell 0.8% in afternoon trading. Roughly 90% of stocks within the index lost ground. With just two days left in 2024, the benchmark index is still on track for its second straight yearly gain of more than 20%.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 319 points, or 0.7%, as of 12:27 p.m. Eastern time. The Nasdaq composite fell 0.8%.
Big Tech companies were among the heaviest weights on the market, worsening the slump. Apple fell 1% and Microsoft fell 1.1%. Their pricey valuations tend to have an outsized impact on the broader market.
Boeing fell 1.8% after one of its jets skidded off a runway in South Korea, killing 179 of the 181 people aboard. South Korea is inspecting all 737-800 aircraft operated by airlines in the country.
The disaster was yet another blow for Boeing following a machinists strike, further safety problems with its troubled top-selling aircraft and a plunging stock price. Its shares have declined more than 30% this year.
Airlines wavered in the wake of the crash. United Airlines fell 1.2% and Delta Air Lines slipped 0.5%. American Airlines shook off an early loss and gained 1.4%. They all include Boeing aircraft as part of their fleets.
Bond yields fell. The yield on the 10-year Treasury fell to 4.56% from 4.63% late Friday. The yield on the two-year Treasury fell to 4.26% from 4.33% late Friday.
Crude oil prices rose 1.2%. Energy stocks held up better than the rest of the market. The sector rose 0.4%, making it the only sector gaining ground within the S&P 500 index.
Natural gas prices jumped 10%. That helped support gains for natural gas producers. EQT Corp. rose 5.3%.
Indexes in Europe and Asia mostly fell.
Markets are nearing the close of a stellar year driven by a growing economy, solid consumer spending and a strong jobs market. Wall Street expects companies within the S&P 500 to report broad earnings growth of more than 9% for the year, according to FactSet. The final figures will be tallied following fourth-quarter reports that start in a few weeks.
Wall Street was encouraged by cooling inflation throughout the year that had brought the rate of inflation close to the Federal Reserve's 2% target. That raised hopes that the central bank would deliver a steady stream of interest rate cuts, which would ease borrowing costs and fuel more economic growth.
The Fed cut interest rates three times in 2024, but has signaled a more cautious approach heading into 2025 amid stubborn inflation and worries about it reheating. The latest report on consumer prices showed that inflation edged slightly higher, to 2.7%, in November.
Worries about the potential for inflation reigniting have been further fueled by tariff threats from incoming President Donald Trump. Companies typically pass along the higher costs from tariffs on goods and raw materials to consumers.
Investors have very little corporate and economic news to review this week, which is shortened by the New Year holiday. Markets will be closed on Wednesday.
On Thursday, investors will get an updated snapshot of U.S. construction spending for the month of November. On Friday, Wall Street will receive an update on manufacturing for December.
FIL:E - The New York Stock Exchange is shown in New York's Financial District on Dec. 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Peter Morgan, File)
Participants perform a traditional hand clap at the end of a ceremony to conclude the year's trading at the Tokyo Stock Exchange Monday, Dec. 30, 2024, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
Nikkei 225 index is seen on screen at the site of a ceremony to mark the last trading day of the year at the Tokyo Stock Exchange Monday, Dec. 30, 2024, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
Visitors look at the end of a ceremony to conclude the year's trading at the Tokyo Stock Exchange Monday, Dec. 30, 2024, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
Participants perform a traditional hand clap at the end of a ceremony to conclude the year's trading at the Tokyo Stock Exchange Monday, Dec. 30, 2024, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
A staff works on the last trading day of the year at the Tokyo Stock Exchange Monday, Dec. 30, 2024, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
Nikkei 225 index is seen on screen as a TV camera crew films the site of a ceremony to mark the last trading day of the year at the Tokyo Stock Exchange Monday, Dec. 30, 2024, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
Participants attend the end of a ceremony to conclude the year's trading at the Tokyo Stock Exchange Monday, Dec. 30, 2024, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
Media wait for the ceremony to mark the last trading day of the year at the Tokyo Stock Exchange Monday, Dec. 30, 2024, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
Hiromi Yamaji, CEO of Japan Exchange Group (JPX) delivers a speech at the end of a ceremony to conclude the year's trading at the Tokyo Stock Exchange Monday, Dec. 30, 2024, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
A person walks in front of an electronic stock board showing Japan's Nikkei index at a securities firm Friday, Dec. 27, 2024, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
FIL:E - People photograph the New York Stock Exchange in New York's Financial District on Dec. 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Peter Morgan, File)
People walk in front of an electronic stock board showing Japan's Nikkei index at a securities firm Friday, Dec. 27, 2024, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
FILE - The New York Stock Exchange is shown behind the statue titled "Fearless Girl", Thursday, Dec. 12, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, File)
