Kanye West announced his 2020 United States presidential election campaign through Twitter on July 4, 2020, Independence Day. On July 16, 2020, the campaign filed a Statement of Candidacy with the Federal Election Commission. He entered the election after missing at least six states' deadlines to appear on the ballot as a third-party candidate. West selected Michelle Tidball, a Christian preacher from Wyoming, as his running mate.[1]
The platform for the election revolved around creating a culture of life, endorsing environmental stewardship, supporting the arts, strengthening faith-based organizations, restoring school prayer, and providing for a strong national defense. Kanye's platform included some Christian-based positions, including an opposition to abortion and capital punishment.[1]
Kanye had first announced he would run back in 2015.[2] He concluded his campaign on the night of election, only after receiving 70,000 votes in the 12 states that he had ballot access. He ranked 7th overall.[1] His 2020 campaign is expected to be followed by a 2024 campaign for the same office.
History[]
Background[]
The whole notion of Ye running for president of the United States kicked off when he announced it by surprise at the 2015 VMAs.[2] The idea came to him after he thought of a rap lyric about running for president while showering in Kris Jenner's home.[3]
In the years after that, Ye grew his association with right-wing American politics through his support for Donald Trump and Candace Owens.[4][5] At one point, he implied that he'd run for president in 2024, instead of 2020.[6]
Campaign[]
Ye announced his committed intent to running for president through an Independence Day tweet on Twitter in 2020. He wrote, "we must now realize the promise of America by trusting God, unifying our vision and building our future. I am running for president of the United States! #2020VISION".[7] In the following months, Ye and his team scrambled to gain ballot access in states across the nation. In many states, he ended up advocating for supporters to write his name in through the "write-in" option.
Ye had a campaign rally in North Charleston, South Carolina, where he broke down in tears while speaking on the topic of abortion. He also spoke on his criticism of Harriet Tubman and gun control, as well as his support for the LGBT community and options to curb drug addiction across the US.[8]
For some time, there were also investigations into Ye's connections with the Republican Party, including Jared Kushner and other popular conservative figures.[1]
"Nah Nah Nah" was released as his campaign theme song.[9] His campaign came to a close on Election Day. He received almost 70,000 votes countrywide, coming in seventh overall.[1]
Political positions[]
- Abortion: Ye spoke heavily against abortion, claiming that it was a form of voter suppression and oppression against Blacks in America. He suggested that abortion should not be illegal, but there should be incentives in place for keeping the babies alive. He cried at the South Carolina rally while speaking of his own experiences with abortion.
- Black Lives Matter and police brutality: Ye seemed to speak favorably on improving racial equality in the US, but had some conflicting views on the BLM movement.
- Prison reform: A recurring motif in his recent music, Ye continued to voice his criticism of the Thirteenth Amendment loophole that keeps slavery legal as punishment through a crime. He also spoke against mass incarceration and the wider prison-industrial complex.
- Welfare: He claimed that welfare programs have kept black people in poverty.
Future[]
On the night that election results started coming in, he shared a tweet captioned "KANYE 2024."[10] That was the last tweet on his profile until late 2022. His first tweet after the hiatus was him holding a hat with "2024" on it.[11]
In November 2022, he told the press that he plans on running for president in 2024.[12] He also revealed that he's planning on selling Balenciaga, Adidas, and Gap merch with "Ye24" emblazoned on them.[13]
External links[]
- West's official campaign website on Internet Archive
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Kanye West 2020 presidential campaign. Wikipedia. Retrieved November 22, 2022.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Zaru, Deena (September 5, 2015). "Kanye West declares 2020 presidential bid at VMAs". CNN. Retrieved November 22, 2022.
- ↑ Lane, Randall (July 8, 2020). "Kanye West Says He's Done With Trump—Opens Up About White House Bid, Damaging Biden And Everything In Between". Forbes. Retrieved November 22, 2022.
- ↑ Guardian Music (November 18, 2016). "Kanye West 'would've voted for Trump' in US elections". The Guardian. Retrieved November 22, 2022.
- ↑ Sung, Morgan (April 25, 2018). "Here's why the alt-right loves Kanye West". Mashable. Retrieved November 22, 2022.
- ↑ Wang, Amy (December 13, 2016). "After speaking with Trump, Kanye West pushes back his presidential run to 2024". Quartz. Retrieved November 22, 2022.
- ↑ Reuters Staff (July 4, 2020). "Rapper Kanye West announces U.S. presidential bid on Twitter". Reuters. Retrieved November 22, 2022.
- ↑ Iasimone, Ashley (July 19, 2020). "Kanye West Breaks Down in Tears Explaining Anti-Abortion Stance at Presidential Rally: 'I Almost Killed My Daughter'". Billboard. Retrieved November 22, 2022.
- ↑ Nah Nah Nah. Wikipedia. Retrieved November 22, 2022.
- ↑ @kanyewest (November 4, 2020). "KANYE 2024". Twitter. Retrieved November 22, 2022.
- ↑ @kanyewest (October 7, 2022). "2024". Twitter. Retrieved November 22, 2022.
- ↑ Aniftos, Rania (November 21, 2022). "Kanye West Confirms Presidential Run, Enlists Milo Yiannopoulos for His 2024 Presidential Campaign". Billboard. Retrieved November 22, 2022.
- ↑ Syme, Pete (November 21, 2022). "Kanye West says he's selling Balenciaga, Adidas, and Gap hoodies for $20 after the companies all cut ties with him". Insider. Retrieved November 22, 2022.