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Topline
Rapper turned presidential contender Kanye West has failed to make the ballot in Missouri, a state official announced Tuesday, the latest in a string of failures in states West made an organized effort to contest, including Wyoming, Ohio, Illinois, Wisconsin, West Virginia and Montana.
President Trump hugs rapper Kanye West during a meeting at the White House on October 11, 2018.
Getty Images
Key Facts
West, who joined the race in July and missed key filing deadlines, faced ballot rejections in Ohio, Illinois, Wisconsin, West Virginia and Montana last week.
Missouri Secretary of State John Ashcroft (R) said West only turned in 6,557 valid signatures out of the 10,000 required to make the ballot as an independent candidate.
West missed Wyoming’s Monday deadline to turn in the 4,025 required signatures needed to appear as an independent candidate, Wyoming Secretary of State spokesperson Will Dinneen told the Casper Star Tribune, adding that West did not submit any signatures.
Forbes has verified that West will be on the ballot in at least five states: Iowa, Arkansas, Colorado, Oklahoma and Vermont.
West has no mathematical chance at winning the 270 electoral votes necessary to become president because he missed the filing deadline in key states.
Key Background
West, who has been open about his diagnosis as bipolar, raised eyebrows among Democrats when it became clear that Republican operatives, including President Trump’s son-in-law and White House senior advisor Jared Kushner, were helping his campaign. In a recent Forbes interview, it was pointed out that West can’t logistically win in 2020, raising the prospect he is running a spoiler campaign intended to hurt Democratic nominee Joe Biden. West replied, “I’m not going to argue with you. Jesus is King.” But a few hours after the story was published, West tweeted, “the goal is to win.”
Tangent
A Politico-Morning Consult poll published august 12 found west with 2% support nationally. he received 2% support from black respondents and 4% from hispanics. his highest support, 6%, came from generation z voters.
Further Reading
Inside Kanye West’s ‘Almost Daily’ Chats With Jared Kushner (Forbes)
Kanye West Indicates That His Spoiler Campaign Is Indeed Designed To Hurt Joe Biden (Forbes)
Kanye West Fails To Make Ballot In Ohio, Illinois Following Misses In Wisconsin And Montana (Forbes)
Kanye West Claims He’s On The Ballot In Three States Where He’s Not
(Forbes)