“Kanye West will not have enough voters to be president, but he can have enough voters to determine the outcome of this election,” said Terrance Woodbury, partner at HIT Strategies and Democrat polling officer.
Any third-party candidate can pose a risk in a tight election, and strategists say this is even more true when the candidate provides name recognition and a nationwide fan base. West does not host campaign events or submit any necessary financial disclosures. He keeps the campaign organization a secret. And the aide is almost entirely focused on putting his name on the ballot.
So far, the music tycoon has only voted in 10 states, so it was mathematically impossible for him to become the next president. However, these states include potential battlefields such as Colorado, Iowa, and Minnesota.
“Unfortunately, I think he is being used by Republicans,” said Quentin James, founder and president of The Collective PAC, which aims to elect more black candidates. “Really sad, we hope Kanye will do his best to control his mental health, but again, this is not what we want to see in politics. We see black voters and their voices heard in the ballot box. I’d like to. I’m not voting for Kanye West, who doesn’t have a chance to come up with new ideas for winning the White House.”
Critics say that efforts to support West’s campaign seem inadequate, especially given West’s diagnosis of bipolar disorder. This disorder is marked by a change between mania and depression, and rap superstars have publicly said they don’t take drugs for their illness.
Mental health advocate Bassey Ikpi, author of “I’m telling the truth, but I’m lying,” said “It’s disgusting to take this person in need of help and support him for his own interests and interests.” “And I live with bipolar disorder.” That’s what Kanye does. They don’t think of him as human. They are thinking of him as a phone.”
West’s representative did not respond to CNN’s list of questions about West’s campaign.
birthday party
The start of his South Carolina campaign immediately raised concerns about the rapper’s welfare.
West, who appeared in a bulletproof vest, drew attention while crying while talking about abortion and his family.
“Running for President will not contribute to his well-being,” said Catherine Burdick, associate professor of psychology at Brigham Women’s Hospital, who has studied bipolar disorder for decades. “Regardless of the outcome, you will be under tremendous stress.”
People who are most successful in treating diseases tend to take medications and pay close attention to changes in mood, sleep, diet, or stress, she said.
‘Life is strange’
As mental health advocates expressed concern, the Western campaign brought together Republican agents and lawyers (most of them refused to discuss work with the campaign) who could help keep up with the campaign play.
Late participation in West’s presidential race shook fashion and music giants to participate in voting, a complex endeavor that varies from state to state.
Six Republican political agents said Greg Keller, a Republican member and former executive director of the US Conservative Union, was at the heart of the campaign effort in the West and helped recruit other Republicans across the country.
Mark Jacoby, an executive at a company called Let The Voters Decide, is helping the West campaign collect signatures from several states. Jacoby has previously pleaded guilty to voter registration scams involving working for the California Republican Party.
A company official said, “The two-year-old misdemeanor charges have nothing to do with political campaigns or voters. There are Let The Voters Decide, voter registration, elections or other issues, and our ongoing focus on them is misplaced and irresponsible.”
Nonetheless, the Western campaign was persistent on charges of being signed inappropriately or fraudulently, which led West to be deported from the Virginia vote this week.
Local Republican agents have emerged to help West in a state of potential battlefield aiming the singer to appear on the ballot.
The Western Campaign is still suing Wisconsin to try to vote.
When asked how he came to represent West, former Minnesota Republican official Erick Kaardal, a lawyer representing West in the Wisconsin case, said “I was instructed not to comment.”
When asked who instructed me not to speak, he said, “I can’t really speak.”
George did not respond to requests for comment.
‘I have more money than Trump’
West’s campaign also raised suspicion that it was nothing more than a spoiler endeavor, taking into account public support for the hip-hop star’s president and his long-standing friendship with Trump’s son-in-law and chief advisor, Jared Kushner.
This year, when West decided to run for president, he told Forbes, “I’m taking off my red hat.”
“Bro, no one can give me money,” West replied. “I got more money than Trump.”
West’s campaign has so far not been able to submit the required financial disclosure forms, so it is not publicly known who is financing their campaign or who is paying for the campaign.
Both Presidents Trump rejected any role in West’s presidential bid.
When Trump asked about West at a press briefing last month, he said, “Kim Kardashian, she has a good heart, a very good heart and I love Kanye very much.” “I have nothing to do with that person taking part in the vote. We can see what’s going on, but we don’t get involved.”
Last month, Kushner confirmed that he had met West on a trip to Colorado and said he had been friends for 10 years.
Kushner told a White House press briefing last month that “we both were in Colorado, so we got together and had a good discussion about a lot.” “He has a great idea of what he wants to happen in the country.”
Living with bipolar disorder
In recent years, West has simultaneously raised debates, including his support for Trump, and publicly mentioned the diagnosis of bipolar disorder.
West sings on Yikes on the 2018 album “ye”. “S — is intimidating and scary, I can seek help. / Sometimes I am afraid of myself.
In the same way, he calls bipolar disorder his “superpower”.
“There should be a conversation about grace. There should be a conversation about empathy, not about Kanye West,” she said.
After West’s South Carolina campaign ceased, West’s wife asked the public for it.
Kardashian West wrote, “Our society talks about giving favor to mental health issues as a whole, but we should give it to the individuals who live with us when they need it most.”
CNN’s Fredreka Schouten, Kristen Holmes, and Ethan Cohen contributed to this report.
Unapologetic organizer. Student. Avid music specialist. Hipster-friendly internet buff.
