Cornel West Leaves Green Party

Scholar will continue presidential campaign as an independent
By Bob Cronin,  Newser Staff
Posted Oct 5, 2023 6:10 PM CDT
Cornel West Will Run as an Independent
Harvard professor Cornel West speaks at a campaign rally for Sen. Bernie Sanders in New Hampshire in February 2020.   (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File)

Cornel West has settled on the third party affiliation of his four-month-old presidential candidacy. The scholar's campaign announced Thursday that he's leaving the Green Party to runs as an independent, the Hill reports. "People are hungry for change," West posted on X, adding that he wants to be president to "end the iron grip of the ruling class and ensure true democracy." The only reason for the switch given by his campaign was a reference to West wanting to focus on the people, rather than on "the intricacies of internal party dynamics," per Politico.

West began his campaign with the People's Party, then moved to the Green Party, which is more mainstream and has a history of third-party candidacies. The progressive's alliance with Sen. Bernie Sanders has won some support among Democrats, while others warn West could ensure a Republican victory by taking votes from President Biden. West now faces the task of placing his name on state ballots without the support of the Green Party's infrastructure. He'll have to collect about 550,000 signatures nationally, said his campaign manager, Peter Daou. (More Cornel West stories.)

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