On the fourth of July, 5:38 PST, Rapper and Singer Kanye West announced his candidacy for president of the United States in the 2020 election. At time of writing, West has released no further details on his presidential bid, but did receive support from fellow billionaire Elon Musk.
Presumably, Kanye will run as an independent, and has made similar promises before, with little coming of them - but if he wants to contend he has to act fast. In five states the deadline to get on the ballot has passed, and more state deadlines are coming up quickly, with many requiring signatures of thousands of voters to qualify, (the highest being 196,964 in California).
If Kanye does make it on the ballot, as an independent his chances are extremely limited. That’s not to say however, he might not determine who wins the election - both parties have both put forward unpopular, racist corporate rapists this year and November is a long way away. West polls well specifically among both conservative and black voters, and should one of these groups, typically loyal to one party switch to him, this could be enough to tip the balance one way or the other in several key swing states, possibly handing the presidency to Trump or Biden - it’s important to remember that no party is owed votes, and should Biden continue to fumble, Wests support in protest votes could very well grow.
Right now, an eccentric, controversial celebrity with a supermodel wife and little political experience as president sounds unlikely… or does it?
Written by Alfie Davis
Media by Ben Hyland
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