Cornel West 2024 presidential campaign explained

Committee:Cornel West for President
Campaign:2024 U.S. presidential election
Affiliation:Justice for All Party
Aurora Party
Oregon Progressive Party
Green Party (formerly)
People's Party (formerly)
Receipts:1096129.22[1]
Fec Date:April 30, 2024

Cornel West, a philosopher, academic, and political activist, announced his campaign on June 5, 2023, in the 2024 US presidential elections as a People's Party candidate.[2]

On June 14, 2023, West announced he would also seek the Green Party's nomination in their primaries.[3] On October 5, West announced he would instead be seeking to run an Independent campaign and thus dropped out of the Green Party primaries, beginning the process for ballot access.[4] On January 31, 2024 he created and ran with the "Justice for All Party".

West has been polling around 0.2% nationally as of November 3, 2024.[5] By August, the campaign reported being $17,000 in debt and West had stopped actively campaigning.[6] His candidacy has been noted for the significant support from Trump allies who want West on swing state ballots to split votes away from Kamala Harris.[7] [8] [9] West expressed ambivalence about the support from Republicans but does object to the spoiler label.[10]

Background

After serving as an advisor to Bill Bradley in 2000, who failed to make it past the Democratic primaries, West became a prominent and active supporter of Green Party nominee Ralph Nader, speaking at several Nader rallies.[11] West backed Barack Obama in the 2008 Democratic primaries, but criticized him after he became president.[12] [13]

He backed Bernie Sanders in 2016,[14] and after Hillary Clinton won the nomination, he endorsed Green Party nominee Jill Stein despite being on the platform drafting committee of the Democratic National Committee.[15]

Campaign

National campaign events and strategy

On June 5, 2023 West announced his run.

People's Party

In his announcement video, West stated that "I have decided to run for truth and justice, which takes the form of running for president of the United States as a candidate for the People's Party. I enter for the quest for truth. I enter for the quest of justice. And the presidency is just one vehicle we pursue that truth and justice." He criticized both major political parties for failing to "tell the truth about Wall Street, about Ukraine, about the Pentagon, about Big Tech."

The People's Party immediately endorsed his campaign. In The Nation, Jeet Heer argued against West's choice of party, noting sexual assault allegations against party founder Nick Brana and issues relating to ballot access.[16] [17]

The founder of the party, Nick Brana, has been accused of sexual harassment and assault,[18] and the party has ballot access only in Florida, with no track record of running campaigns.[19] Ben Burgis (a columnist for Jacobin),[20] Bhaskar Sunkara (the founding editor of Jacobin) and D. D. Guttenplan, (editor of The Nation) argued that he should run for the Democratic Party nomination instead,[21] while Jeet Heer argued for the Green Party.

Green Party

On June 14, 2023, West announced he was running for the Green Party's 2024 presidential nomination.[22]

West announced that Jill Stein, the Green Party's presidential nominee in 2012 and 2016, would be chairing his campaign.[23]

On July 14, 2023, West stated that NATO had provoked the Russian invasion of Ukraine in a Twitter post.[24] Later, West criticized Biden for authoring the 1994 crime bill, which Biden has publicly disavowed.[25]

West responded to claims of being a spoiler candidate via a July 23 CNN interview with Anderson Cooper, saying:

In July 2023, Reform and Revolution, a Marxist caucus of the Democratic Socialists of America, published opposing articles arguing for and against DSA supporting West's campaign, endorsing neither as an official caucus position.[26]

On September 11, 2023, West brought on Peter Daou as his campaign manager; Daou had previously held that role for Marianne Williamson's campaign.[27] Daou left the West campaign on October 27.

Switch to independent candidacy

On October 5, 2023, West announced he was withdrawing his candidacy for the Green Party nomination and would instead run as an independent, beginning the process for attaining ballot access.[28] [29]

West's campaign released a statement explaining his rationale for making the switch, stating that West "believes the best way to challenge the entrenched system is by focusing 100% on the people, not on the intricacies of internal party dynamics".[28]

Establishing the Justice for All Party

On January 31, 2024, West announced via a video on X (formerly Twitter) that he was establishing a new party called "Justice for All". West said the party would start seeking ballot access in the states where it is the most expedient to attain it: Florida, North Carolina, and Washington. The campaign plans to get ballot access in the state of Florida through a nominating caucus.[30]

Vice presidential selection

On April 10, 2024, West announced on The Tavis Smiley Show that he had chosen fellow academic Melina Abdullah as his vice presidential running mate.[31]

Ballot access

Arizona

In August 2024, the Arizona Secretary of State said that the campaign did not file sufficient paperwork to gain ballot access in the state before the set deadline. This was in spite of reported efforts from Republican lawyers to secure electors to support West's efforts.[32]

Michigan

In August 2024, Cornel West and his running mate Melina Abdullah were both initially disqualified and denied entry onto the 2024 Michigan presidential election ballot, due to an incorrectly notarized form.[33] The Michigan Secretary of State had given West's campaign a week to submit a response concerning the notarization issues and did not receive a response, after which the department disqualified West.[33] On August 24, a Michigan judge overruled the decision, and required West to be given ballot access in Michigan.[34]

Pennsylvania

In August of 2024, a judge ruled agreeing with the Secretary of State’s office that West’s candidacy paperwork was insufficient for ballot access in Pennsylvania.[35]

Wisconsin

In Wisconsin, an employee of the Democratic National Convention challenged to keep West off of the ballot. In August 2024, the Wisconsin Election Commission rejected the challenge, and voted 5-1 to keep West on the ballot.[36]

Political positions

West supports Medicare for All, a Green New Deal,[37] ending all new oil drilling, universal public housing, term limits in congress, ending US support for NATO, Ukraine, and Israel, and closing most US military bases.

Support from Republicans

The Associated Press (AP) described "extensive" involvement from GOP lawyers and operatives to further West's bid for president, which West has expressed ambivalence about.[38]

West has appeared on shows and as a member of political parties friendly to conspiracy theorists and misinformation, and with personalities like Tucker Carlson.[39] He also sits on the board of an organization promoting a more Christian-focused college admissions test.

West's donors include Republican megadonor Harlan Crow,[40] who some have theorized may have donated to the campaign in the hope that West will hurt Democrats' electoral chances.[41] West defended Crow but ultimately returned the donation after public pushback.[42] [43]

By August, the campaign reported being $17,000 in debt. The campaign was aided by Republican-aligned groups, donors, and lawyers, to get on the ballot in several states including Michigan,[44] Georgia,[45] Virginia, Nebraska, Maine, North Carolina,[46] Arizona and Wisconsin.[47] [48] Although West stopped actively campaigning, registered Republicans have signed up to be electors for West in swing states. His campaign had only spent $2,400 on signature gathering between January and June of 2024.[49] The Democratic National Committee filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission arguing that the unreported in-kind contributions that went towards signature gathering and lawyers in North Carolina and Arizona are illegal.[50]

The AP has also compared West's campaign to Jill Stein and her campaign as the Green Party candidate. The AP notes that Republicans have made efforts to place Stein and her campaign on the ballot of swing states in the belief that Stein will act as a spoiler candidate, the same reason they also try to help West's campaign.[51]

Wisconsin

Four Republican employees of a canvassing firm that says it works on behalf of "conservative political campaigns" collected signatures to put West on the ballot. The company's president, David Blair, worked in the Trump administration.[52] Ultimately, all Democratic commissioners voted with two Republican commissioners to reject an attempt by the Democratic National Committee to remove West from the Wisconsin ballot on August 28, 2024.[53]

Arizona

In Arizona, GOP lawyers and operatives signed up to be electors for West and tried to convince two electors to back West after one switched their support to Harris and another denied having ever agreed to be an elector. 80 paid out-of-state canvassers were hired by a firm closely aligned with Republican operative Mark Jacoby, who has a reputation of deceptive tactics and a voter registration fraud conviction.

North Carolina

In April 2024, a Trump-aligned activist signed up attendees outside of a Trump rally in North Carolina, pitching the idea that West being on the ballot would help get Trump elected.

North Carolina's election board blocked West's party from appearing on the ballot after surveying 50 of the signatures to see if they signed the petition, and found that many did not sign it or did not know what it was for. A Republican canvassing firm submitted the signatures and it was unclear who paid for the signature gathering.

Reception

Criticism

David Masciotra criticized West for owing the IRS nearly $483,000,[10] [54] and noted his spending on extramarital affairs, with some girlfriends and ex-wives claiming he "impregnates and abandons women." Masciotra criticized West for aligning himself with people and candidates who defend aggressive actions by Vladimir Putin, Kim Jong Un, and the Chinese Communist Party.[55]

West's campaign sparked concerns of its potential to be a spoiler and help elect Donald Trump. On August 16, 2024, the Associated Press reported on Republican operatives boosting his campaign to help Trump in a number of swing states.[56] Because of these concerns, many in the Democratic Party have tried to keep third parties off the ballot.[57] West has pushed back against criticism that his embracing of candidates like Jill Stein and Claudia De la Cruz, as well as his own campaign, improved Donald Trump's chances of becoming president in 2016 and 2024.

Results

West received 74,840 total votes and 0.05% of the national vote, coming 7th in the nation.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Report of Receipts and Disembursements – CORNEL WEST FOR PRESIDENT . FEC . May 17, 2024 .
  2. Web site: Frazier. Kierra . June 5, 2023. Cornel West announces he's running for president. July 16, 2023. POLITICO. en.
  3. Web site: Hippensteel. Chris. June 14, 2023 . Cornel West to Run for President With Green Party, Ditches People's Party. July 16, 2023 . The Daily Beast. en.
  4. Web site: Thomas . Ken . October 5, 2023 . Cornel West Slams Biden, Trump, and Runs as 2024 Independent. October 5, 2023. The Wall Street Journal. en-US.
  5. Web site: National 2024 Presidential Election Polls - 270toWin . 2024-11-02 . 270toWin.com.
  6. Web site: Slodysko . Brian . Cooper . Jonathan J. . 2024-08-17 . Her name was on a filing agreeing to be a Cornel West elector. Her question: What's an elector? . 2024-08-24 . AP News . en.
  7. Web site: Merica . Dan . Slodysko . Brian . 2024-08-19 . Republicans scrambled to get Cornel West on the Arizona ballot. The left-wing academic is OK with it . 2024-08-27 . AP News . en.
  8. Web site: 2024-08-19 . Republicans are central in an effort to rescue Cornel West's ballot hopes in Arizona . 2024-08-26 . PBS News . en-us.
  9. Web site: 2024-08-28 . RFK Jr., Cornel West approved for ballot in Wisconsin - CBS Minnesota . 2024-08-28 . www.cbsnews.com . en-US . Republicans and their allies have worked to get West on the ballot in Wisconsin and other states in the hope that West will help boost Trump's chances of winning by pulling support from Harris. West does not need to win a state to serve as a spoiler candidate — a few thousand votes in battleground states could be decisive..
  10. Masciotra . David . December 29, 2023 . Cornel West Is the Charlatan of the Year . 2024-08-24 . The New Republic . 0028-6583.
  11. Web site: Cornel West speech at November 5, 2000 Nader Campaign Rally C-SPAN.org. July 16, 2023 . www.c-span.org.
  12. Web site: 2011-04-11 . Al Sharpton Cornel West The Black Agenda Obama MSNBC . 2024-08-24 . Mediaite . en.
  13. Web site: Kirell . Andrew . November 12, 2012 . Cornel West: Obama A 'Republican In Blackface,' Black MSNBC Hosts Are 'Selling Their Souls'. live . https://web.archive.org/web/20121202065305/http://www.mediaite.com/tv/cornel-west-obama-a-republican-in-blackface-black-msnbc-hosts-are-selling-their-souls/ . December 2, 2012 . November 28, 2012 . Mediaite.
  14. News: Rappeport . Alan . August 25, 2015 . Bernie Sanders Gets Stamp of Approval From Cornel West. The New York Times. live . February 15, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160514001821/http://www.nytimes.com/politics/first-draft/2015/08/25/bernie-sanders-gets-stamp-of-approval-from-cornel-west/?_r=0 . May 14, 2016.
  15. Web site: Hensch . Mark . July 14, 2016 . Sanders ally Cornel West backs Green candidate. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20160715094902/http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/presidential-races/287829-sanders-ally-cornel-west-backs-green-candidate . July 15, 2016 . July 15, 2016 . The Hill.
  16. News: Heer . Jeet . June 12, 2023 . Cornel West Is the Right Man in the Wrong Party. en-US. July 22, 2023 . 0027-8378. The Nation.
  17. Web site: McHugh . Calder . July 7, 2023 . Cornel West wants to keep on pushing. July 16, 2023 . POLITICO . en.
  18. Web site: Thakker. Prem . June 5, 2023 . Cornel West Announces Presidential Bid ... as a People's Party Candidate. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20230605194830/https://newrepublic.com/post/173244/cornel-west-announces-presidential-bid-peoples-party-candidate . June 5, 2023 . The New Republic.
  19. Web site: Garcia . Justin . October 8, 2021 . 'The People's Party' gains ballot access in Florida and aims to challenge corporate politics . July 16, 2023 . . en.
  20. Web site: Cornel West Should Challenge Biden in the Democratic Primaries . July 21, 2023 . jacobin.com . en-US . Ben Burgis.
  21. News: Guttenplan . D. D. . Sunkara . Bhaskar . July 6, 2023 . Cornel West Should Run as a Democrat . July 7, 2023 . . en-US . 0027-8378.
  22. Web site: Kennedy . Kaitlyn . June 15, 2023 . Cornel West announces presidential run with the Green Party . July 16, 2023 . TAG24 . en.
  23. News: Pahwa . Nitish . July 4, 2023 . Why Is America's Green Party Like This?. en-US. Slate. July 16, 2023 . 1091-2339.
  24. Web site: Reynolds . Nick . July 11, 2023 . Cornel West blames NATO for Russia's war with Ukraine. July 12, 2023 . Newsweek . en.
  25. Web site: Greenwood . Max . October 16, 2020 . Biden says crime bill was a 'mistake' during ABC town hall. July 16, 2023 . The Hill . en-US.
  26. Web site: Reporter . Nick Reynolds Senior . Politics . July 26, 2023 . Cornel West's candidacy divides Democratic Socialists. November 26, 2023 . Newsweek . en.
  27. Web site: Gibson . Brittany. June 30, 2023 . Marianne Williamson announces her third campaign manager . September 29, 2023 . POLITICO . en.
  28. Web site: Gibson. Brittany. October 5, 2023 . Cornel West leaves the Green Party in favor of an independent bid. October 5, 2023. Politico. en-US.
  29. Web site: Thomas . Ken . October 5, 2023 . Cornel West Slams Biden, Trump, and Runs as 2024 Independent. October 5, 2023 . . en-US.
  30. Web site: Perry . Mitch . February 1, 2024 . Cornel West forms new political party 'Justice for All'; he plans to be on FL ballot in November . May 9, 2024 . Florida Phoenix.
  31. Web site: Cornel West picks Melina Abdullah, professor and racial justice advocate, as running mate. https://web.archive.org/web/20240410165856/https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/4585475-cornel-west-picks-melina-abdullah-professor-and-racial-justice-advocate-as-running-mate/. dead. April 10, 2024. Trudo. Hannah. The Hill. April 10, 2024. April 10, 2024.
  32. Web site: Merica . Dan . August 21, 2024 . Republicans scrambled to get Cornel West on the Arizona ballot. The left-wing academic is OK with it . August 23, 2024 . AP . en-US.
  33. News: 2024-08-16 . Michigan election officials say Cornel West is disqualified from ballot . 2024-08-16 . The Washington Post. en-US.
  34. News: Sforza. Lauren. Michigan judge overrules decision to block Cornel West from state's ballot . The Hill. 25 August 2024.
  35. Web site: Levy . Marc . August 23, 2024 . Cornel West can't be on Pennsylvania's presidential ballot, court decides . August 23, 2024 . AP . en-US.
  36. News: Bauer. Scott. Robert F. Kennedy Jr., West approved for ballot in Wisconsin after attempts to oust them fail. Associated Press. 27 August 2024.
  37. Web site: October 1, 2020 . Does Biden Support the Green New Deal?. July 15, 2023 . Snopes . en. Dapcevich, Madison.
  38. Web site: Merica . Dan . Slodysko . Brian . 2024-08-19 . Republicans scrambled to get Cornel West on the Arizona ballot. The left-wing academic is OK with it . 2024-08-28 . AP News . en.
  39. Web site: Jones . Ja'han . June 7, 2023 . Blog: Cornel West's 'leftist' presidential bid has right-wing DNA . July 16, 2023 . MSNBC . en.
  40. News: Doyle . Katherine . Cornel West draws max donation from GOP megadonor Harlan Crow . NBC News . October 18, 2023 . en.
  41. News: Jones . Ja'han . Cornel West takes max donation from right-wing donor Harlan Crow . MSNBC.com. October 19, 2023 . en.
  42. Web site: Cornel West returns donation from Harlan Crow. https://web.archive.org/web/20231021020830/https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/4267593-cornel-west-returns-harlan-crow-donation/. dead. October 21, 2023. October 20, 2023. October 27, 2023. Suter. Tara. The Hill.
  43. Masciotra . David . December 29, 2023 . Cornel West Is the Charlatan of the Year . 2024-08-25 . The New Republic . 0028-6583.
  44. News: King . Jon . August 29, 2024 . Cornel West is relying on right-wing lawyers to advance his left-wing presidential campaign . Michigan Advance.
  45. Web site: Amy . Jeff . 2024-08-29 . Georgia puts Cornel West, Jill Stein and Claudia De la Cruz on the state's presidential ballots . 2024-08-30 . AP News . en.
  46. News: Arnsdorf . Isaac . April 20, 2024 . Proud Boys appear at Trump rally, drawing condemnation from Biden . Washington Post . Also mingling with rallygoers as they lined up was Scott Presler, a well-known pro-Trump activist focused on voter turnout. He and another woman were collecting signatures that they said would help independent Cornel West qualify for the ballot in North Carolina. 'This helps take away votes from Joe Biden,' Presler told an interested rallygoer. 'We’re helping the Trump team who’s trying to get him on there,' the woman added..
  47. Web site: Merica . Dan . Slodysko . Brian . 2024-08-21 . Republicans scrambled to get Cornel West on the Arizona ballot. The left-wing academic is OK with it . 2024-08-25 . Associated Press . en-US . The Hill.
  48. Web site: Levy . Marc . 2024-08-21 . Democrats get a third-party hopeful knocked off Pennsylvania ballot, as Cornel West tries to get on . 2024-08-24 . AP News . en.
  49. Web site: Slodysko . Brian . 2024-07-16 . Kennedy and West third-party ballot drives are pushed by secretive groups and Republican donors . 2024-08-25 . AP News . en.
  50. News: Ariza . Mario Alejandro . August 29, 2024 . Dark money group aiding Cornel West has ties to utility operative . Floodlight . States Newsroom.
  51. Web site: GOP network props up liberal third-party candidates in key states, hoping to siphon off Harris votes. September 1, 2024. AP News.
  52. Web site: Garrison . Joey . August 14, 2024 . Cornel West boosted by Trump allies to get name on Wisconsin ballot . 2024-08-25 . USA TODAY . en-US.
  53. Web site: 2024-08-28 . RFK Jr., Cornel West approved for ballot in Wisconsin - CBS Minnesota . 2024-08-28 . www.cbsnews.com . en-US.
  54. Web site: Everson . Zach . Why Cornel West Is Broke . 2024-08-25 . Forbes . en.
  55. Masciotra . David . December 29, 2023 . Cornel West Is the Charlatan of the Year . 2024-08-24 . The New Republic . 0028-6583 . His alliances also betray his proclamations of 'love,' 'service,' and 'justice.' A so-called 'revolutionary Christian,' West has praised and appeared at events with the likes of Claudia De La Cruz, the presidential candidate for the Party for Socialism and Liberation. As David Corn reported for Mother Jones, the PSL supports Kim Jong Un’s pursuit of nuclear weapons and defends the Chinese government against accusations of human rights abuses. Among West’s other allies are former Radio Sputnik hosts who revere Putin and compliment the Chinese Communist Party as an 'inspiration.'.
  56. News: Slodysko . Brian . Cooper . Jonathan J. . August 16, 2024 . Her name was on a filing agreeing to be a Cornel West elector. Her question: What's an elector? . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240817130223/https://apnews.com/article/ballot-deception-cornel-west-conservatives-0d2c94da68bbd136442e63edadf14398 . August 17, 2024 . August 17, 2024 . Associated Press.
  57. Web site: August 4, 2022 . Democrats sue to keep Green Party off North Carolina ballot . July 14, 2023 . AP News . en.

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