West kicked off his campaign as a People's Party candidate.[5] On June 14, 2023, West announced that he would instead seek the Green Party's presidential nomination.[6] On October 5, 2023, West dropped out of the Green Party primaries and announced that he would instead run an independent campaign for president.[7] On January 31, 2024, he created the "Justice for All Party".[8] By August 2024, West had stopped actively campaigning for the presidency and his campaign reported being $17,000 in debt.[9] His candidacy was noted for the significant support it received from allies of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump who wanted West to appear on swing state ballots to draw votes away from Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris.[10][11][12]
On Election Day, West finished in seventh place in the presidential election popular vote. He received 82,644 votes, or 0.05% of the popular vote.
On June 5, 2023, West announced that he would run for president in 2024.[5]
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."[5]
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.[18][19]
There are tons of people, every two and four years who decide not to vote at all. And we know that the so called spoilers, which is a category I don't accept at all whether it be Gary Johnson, sister Jill Stein or Ralph Nader, many of those voters say they would never vote for the two parties at all. And I can understand, those politicians become too corrupt, too conformant, what about truth? What about justice? If you are concerned about truth and justice you cannot be complacent. Look at the world at the lens through those incarcerated, in the ghettos."[28]
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.[29][bettersourceneeded]
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.[31][32]
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".[31]
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 was the most expedient to attain it: Florida, North Carolina, and Washington. The campaign planned to get ballot access in the state of Florida through a nominating caucus.[8]
West ballot access for the 2024 presidential election, as of July 2024:
Certified for ballot (15 states, 132 electors)
Registered write-in (13 states, 175 electors)
Automatic write-in (Seven states, 59 electors)
On ballot, votes did not count (One state, 16 electors)
Not on ballot
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.[10]
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.[37] 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.[37] On August 24, a Michigan judge overruled the decision, and required West to be given ballot access in Michigan.[38]
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.[39]
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.[40]
The Associated Press (AP) described "extensive" involvement from GOP lawyers and operatives to further West's bid for president. West expressed ambivalence about this support.[10] Specifically, Republican-aligned groups, donors, and lawyers helped West to get on the ballot in several states, including Michigan,[42]Georgia,[43]Virginia, Nebraska, Maine, North Carolina,[44]Arizona[10] and Wisconsin.[10][45] Although West had stopped actively campaigning by August 2024, registered Republicans signed up to be electors for West in swing states.[9] 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 were illegal.[46]
West's donors included Republican megadonor Harlan Crow,[47] who some have theorized may have donated to the campaign in the hope that West would hurt Democrats' electoral chances.[48] West defended Crow but ultimately returned the donation after public pushback.[49][50]
Wisconsin
Four Republican employees of a canvassing firm that said it worked 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.[51] 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.[52]
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.[10] Eighty 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.[53]
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.[9][44]
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.[53] A Republican canvassing firm submitted the signatures and it was unclear who paid for the signature gathering.[53]
Reception
Criticism
David Masciotra, writing in The New Republic, criticized West for owing the IRS nearly $483,000.[50][54] He also noticed West's 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.[50]
West's campaign sparked concern due to its potential to be a spoiler campaign that could help Donald Trump win the election.[23] Because of this concern, many in the Democratic Party tried to keep third parties off the presidential ballot.[55]
Results
West received 82,644 total votes, or 0.05% of the popular vote. He received the seventh-most popular votes in the presidential contest.[56]
↑ "RFK Jr., Cornel West approved for ballot in Wisconsin - CBS Minnesota". www.cbsnews.com. August 28, 2024. Retrieved August 28, 2024. 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.
1 2 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.
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