“She’s one of the great freedom fighters of a generation and one of the great warriors of love of a generation,” West told Smiley. “She loves people.”
Mr West, 70, a well-known activist and author, initially began campaigning for the Green Party’s nomination in June last year, but has since chosen to become an independent candidate.
His announcement comes as he seeks to qualify to vote in 26 states and Washington, D.C., where independent presidential candidates are on the ballot, according to Ballot Access News. People are asked to petition for access and submit the name of their running mate.
West’s campaign says he meets the requirements to appear on the ballot in Alaska, Oregon, South Carolina and Utah, but election officials in those states have not yet confirmed that. do not have.
But West has refused PAC support and is having trouble raising money. His campaign spent more money than it raised in February. According to his federal campaign finance report, he has $26,048 in cash on hand and $12,938 in debt. The U.S. Office of Government Ethics also refused to approve financial disclosures, a requirement that West must meet to serve as president.
Meanwhile, Democrats have criticized West’s candidacy and other third-party candidates who could derail President Biden’s campaign in key battleground states.
“Despite Cornel West announcing his running mate, our position remains unchanged. We can win 270 electoral votes. There are only two candidates: President Biden and Donald Trump.” “The stakes are high and we know this election will be close, which is why a vote for a third-party candidate is the same as a vote for Donald Trump.”
Mr. Abdullah, who is Black and Muslim, has previously supported Mr. West’s candidacy and said Wednesday that he did not expect to be given the vice presidential slot last week. Neither candidate has ever held elected office.
Several national polls have shown Mr. West winning about 1% to 2% of voters, about the same level as the Green Party’s third-party candidate, Jill Stein. According to an NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll conducted March 25, 1 percent of voters said they would choose West, compared to 11 percent who said they would choose Republican Robert F. Kennedy Jr., an independent. Candidate Trump had 41% of the vote, and Democratic candidate Biden had 43%. Up to 28.
The announcement came about two weeks after President Kennedy nominated tech lawyer and mega-donor Nicole Shanahan as his running mate. After Mr. Shanahan’s announcement, the Kennedy campaign announced that it had begun a new effort to reach more states on the ballot after meeting the requirements for the vice presidential nomination.
Shanahan and Abdullah, both women of color from California, supported Democratic candidates before running as independents.
But Mr. Abdullah has donated far less than Mr. Shanahan, who has donated tens of thousands of dollars to Democratic candidates. Abdullah previously donated $360 to support then-Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama in 2008. $300 to Rep. Karen Bass (D-Calif.) in 2012; In 2019, he donated $300 to presidential candidate Julián Castro’s super PAC, according to federal campaign finance filings.
Abdullah, a professor in California State University’s Department of Pan-African Studies for more than 20 years, was among the original group of organizers convened to form Black Lives Matter and has led the California chapter. Abdullah had previously clashed with the group’s national leadership, filing a lawsuit over funds he believed should have gone to local chapters. The judge dismissed the lawsuit.
Her activism has drawn threats, including several attempted bashings at her home. Roughly three months after the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, she claimed police forced her to leave her home at gunpoint while her children were hiding inside, leaving her in Los Angeles. He sued the city police. She is also suing the university after she was forcibly removed by police from a mayoral debate held on campus.
This is a developing story.
