While most political pundits are not taking Kanye West’s presidential run seriously, key Democrats are worried what his third party run would mean for Joe Biden’s election efforts in November. West, who is outwardly pro-life, has said some controversial statements, but lawmakers are worried what will happen if he gains any momentum.
House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn told MSNBC that West’s only goal is to take away votes from Biden. He said in his interview, “I don’t think there’s any question about that. We saw what was going on in Wisconsin where he was getting help getting on the ballot. But African-Americans, most especially, know what this campaign is all about.”
West is working to get on the ballot in key battleground states that President Trump won in 2016, including Ohio and Wisconsin. In 2016, Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton was sure she had these states in the bag. Democrats are looking to West’s decision to work with Republican operatives as proof that they are only doing this to help Trump’s reelection efforts, but West has been supportive of Trump since he went to Trump Tower right after the November 2016 election, and then when he would visit the White House in 2018 and spoke to reporters about what Trump was doing for the country. When West announced his presidential bid, however, he said he was taking his red hat off and no longer supported the president. West is running as an independent.
Why this matters: Because of West’s platform, it would seem the independent candidate, who is working with Trump officials, is trying to get support from Republicans instead of Democrats. Furthermore, his working with Republican operatives shows he is aligning himself with the GOP instead of the left. The Democrats, however, are nervous since Clinton lost key blue states to Trump in 2016, and don’t want to see a repeat. They are clearly relying on the African American vote, and after a series of slip ups from Biden with this community, are trying to make it appear the Trump campaign has a master plan to use West as his pawn. That, in itself, has a slew of issues within it. West breaking from Trump when he announced his campaign, is trying to appeal to the same people who support Trump with his policies. Furthermore, political pundits and representatives are not truly taking West’s bid seriously, and he is struggling to get on the ballot in many states. If anything, the Democrat’s response shows the unsteadiness of Biden’s campaign, and that they’re nervous he will fail to deliver a coherent message to his voter’s in those crucial blue states, just like Clinton did.
CNN’s recent article- Kanye West's bizarre 'campaign' is designed to help Trump, is an opinion piece, but the title speaks for everything you need to know about how the left views this upcoming election, especially, how they are already looking for every excuse in case Biden loses in November. In the article, he said West is “getting played,” by conservative operatives. He links staffers working with West to Trump, painting a predetermined picture and promoting a serious conspiracy theory. Most operatives, who work as independent contractors, would not turn down a job to help a candidate if they are paid for it. The paranoia, the accusations, and the conspiracies, especially about an African American who supported the president, are a representation of the characterization the left has onto anyone who does not carry the same point of view as them.
Subscribe to our evening newsletter to stay informed during these challenging times!!
