Presidential Candidate Cornel West Announces BLM Leader As Running Mate

Cornel West, an independent presidential candidate, announces BLM leader as running mate. Melina Abdullah, the running mate of Cornel West is a Pan-African studies professor and co-founder of Black Lives Matter Los Angeles, as he pursues ballot access in more states ahead of the November general election.

West, 70, and Abdullah, 51, appeared together on “The Tavis Smiley Show,” a Black radio talk show, to promote their long-shot ticket as a more liberal alternative to other third-party ticket alternatives.

“She’s one of the great freedom fighters of a generation, one of the great love warriors of a generation,” Smiley said. “She’s a lover of people.”

West, a well-known activist and novelist, began his campaign for the Green Party’s candidacy in June of last year before deciding to run as an independent.

His statement comes as he seeks to qualify for the ballot in 26 states and Washington, D.C., where an independent presidential candidate requesting for ballot access must submit the name of their running mate, according to Ballot Access News.

West’s campaign claims he has met the standards to appear on the ballot in Alaska, Oregon, South Carolina, and Utah, although those states’ election officials have not yet validated this.

West, who has shunned PAC and corporate donations, has struggled to raise funds. According to federal campaign finance reports, his campaign spent more than it raised in February, leaving it with $26,048 in cash and $12,938 in debt. The United States Office of Government Ethics also refused to approve West’s financial report, which is a requirement for holding office.

Meanwhile, the Democratic Party has condemned West’s candidacy, as well as that of other third-party candidates, who could derail President Biden’s campaign in critical swing states.

“Despite Cornel West announcing a running mate, our view remains the same: only two candidates have a path to 270 electoral votes, President Biden and Donald Trump,” Democratic National Committee spokesman Matt Corridoni said in a statement ahead of the announcement. “The stakes are high, and we know this is going to be a close election — that’s why a vote for any third party candidate is a vote for Donald Trump.”

Abdullah, who is Black and Muslim, previously supported West’s 2024 bid and claimed Wednesday that she did not expect to be offered the vice president position last week. Neither candidate has previously held an elected position.

“I’ve been following him and had been really enthusiastic about his candidacy and just was excited to be able to share space with him, to be inspired by him, to sit in his wisdom, and was not expecting the phone call that I got last week at all,” Abdullah said in an interview.

READ ALSO; Fake Stamps: China Blamed for Rise in UK Counterfeits