Kanye West Filed To Appear On Five Ballots (So Far) In Unlikely Presidential Bid

TOPLINE

Rapper and billionaire Kanye West filed to appear on New Jersey’s presidential ballot for the November election, the latest step he’s taken in his moonshot campaign to become commander-in-chief—and faces ever-growing odds to beat either incumbent President Trump or presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden.

Kim Kardashian West and Kanye West.

Karwai Tang/Getty Images

KEY FACTS

New Jersey election documents show West as a presidential candidate on an unofficial list, although his first name is misspelled as “Kayne.”

West gathered 1,327 petition signatures, well over the required 800 to appear on New Jersey’s ballot as an independent candidate, according to reports.

Some states require independent candidates to collect signatures, while others mandate fees to appear on ballots.

West has also filed to appear on ballots in Oklahoma, Illinois, South Carolina and Missouri, but South Carolina’s election commission said on June 20 that West failed to make their deadline.

West missed filing deadlines for North Carolina, Nevada, Florida, Michigan, Delaware, Texas, New Mexico and Indiana, which takes him out of the running for 132 votes in the Electoral College, including South Carolina.

It’s unclear whether West filed by Maine’s deadline, which was Saturday.

Big number

Over 1,400. That’s how many people have filed to run for president this November, according to Federal Election Commission filings. The New York Times reported that the paperwork required to declare a presidential candidacy is relatively simple, and does not need legal or political expertise to complete.

Key background

West announced his long-shot candidacy July 4. Besides filing to appeal on a handful of ballots and filing basic paperwork with the FEC, he gave a wide-ranging interview to Forbes about his fledgling campaign and political stance, declaring that he was no longer a Trump supporter. “I am taking the red hat off,” West said, referring to the infamous “Make America Great Again” baseball caps that were a Trump 2016 signature. West, who has previously spoken about having bipolar disorder, also made his first campaign rally appearance in South Carolina. He wore a bulletproof vest and ranted against Harriet Tubman. He also cried onstage. The following day, West wrote in now-deleted tweets that he was trying to divorce wife Kim Kardashian West, and accused her of “trying to lock me up like on the movie Get Out.” Kardashian West posted a message to Instagram Wednesday addressing his mental health, and asked for compassion and empathy. “Living with bi-polar disorder does not diminish or invalidate his dreams and his creative ideas, no matter how big or unobtainable they may feel to some,” she wrote. West apologized to his wife in a Saturday tweet.

Tangent

Analysis by Forbes suggests that if West goes up against Trump and Biden in November, he’s more likely to take votes away from Trump.

What to watch for

Whatever West might do next. New York magazine first reported July 15 that West was dropping out of the race. Hours later, however, West paid the $35,000 fee to appear on Oklahoma’s ballot. Then, on July 22, West tweeted about potentially postponing his campaign to 2024, before deleting the post.