RFK Jr. campaign says it has enough signatures for North Carolina ballot

• Former President Trump won North Carolina by less than two percentage points in 2020.

Driving the news: Supporters of Kennedy led the effort to gather more than 23,000 signatures in North Carolina.

• "We have the field teams, volunteers, legal teams, paid circulators, supporters, and strategists ready to get the job done," Kennedy campaign press secretary Stefanie Spear said in a statement.

Between the lines: Kennedy supporters formed the "We The People" political party in North Carolina and five other states, allowing him to qualify for the ballot with fewer signatures than required for an unaffiliated candidate.

The big picture: Kennedy has only officially qualified for the ballot in Utah, but North Carolina is the fifth state where he has collected sufficient signatures for ballot access, according to the campaign.

• Kennedy last week named attorney and tech entrepreneur Nicole Shanahan as his vice presidential pick, which is expected to accelerate his signature collection in states that require him to file with a running mate.

State of play: Kennedy, polling in the double-digits, has drawn concern from Democrats that he could spoil the election for Biden in November.

• The Democratic National Committee has created a team dedicated to countering Kennedy's long-shot independent presidential bid.

Go deeper: RFK Jr. laps 2024 presidential field on TikTok