Cornel West chose Melina Abdullah, a university professor and notable Black Lives Matter activist, to be his running partner in his long-shot presidential campaign.
Abdullah has never run for political office and is the former chair of the Pan-African Studies Department at California State University, Los Angeles.
“I wanted to run with someone who would put a smile on the faces of Fannie Lou Hamer and Martin Luther King Jr. from the grave,” stated West.
On Wednesday’s episode of the Tavis Smiley Radio Show on KBLA radio, he revealed his decision.
West is running as an independent and will face many challenges in his White House campaign. West’s fundraising has fallen behind his opponents, garnering less than $1 million since commencing his campaign last summer.
Since entering the contest, West has moved parties twice, abandoning the People’s Party and the Green Party to eventually run as an independent. The change necessitates an expensive and laborious process to get his name on the ballot in 50 states and Washington, D.C. After choosing his vice president, he can begin gathering petition signatures to get on the ballot in around 20 states.
“Both of us want to disrupt the narrative that you have only two choices,” Abdullah explained about their ticket. “We can be expansive and imaginative.” We come into this as faithful people who are no more pragmatists than we are faithful.”
Thanks to existing third-party relationships, West is already on the ballot in three states. However, this technique was unsuccessful in California, one of the most difficult states to get ballot access, when West lost the Peace and Freedom Party primary to the Party for Socialism and Liberation candidate in March.
Abdullah, who also organizes grassroots and local Black Lives Matter chapters, stated that she “was not expecting the phone call that I received last week at all, as if it was the furthest thing from my mind.” And then he and his wife, Annahita [Mahdavi West], inquired, and my heart soared.”
Black Lives Matter does not endorse candidates, she explained, but members of the movement may do so separately. Abdullah, a Howard University graduate and member of the AKA sorority, stated that she would continue to organize with grassroots local chapters.
West also declared that Black Lives Matter, which has advocated for police defunding and faced accusations of property destruction at civil rights marches in 2020, will not bear any political “burden”.
Abdullah, a practicing Muslim, emphasized the significance of her announcement on Eid, the culmination of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan. She actively discussed her beliefs, comparable to West’s approach on the campaign trail. West is a Christian, and he holds the Dietrich Bonhoeffer Chair at Union Theological Seminary.
“I am running for Jesus.” She is running for Allah. “That is a beautiful thing,” West stated.
The declaration was a significant milestone for West’s campaign, but not without controversy. A technical issue with his audio input cut off West from their joint interview for about 10 minutes.
Democrats were quick to attack West’s announcement. “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,” stated Matt Corridoni, spokesperson for the Democratic National Committee. “The stakes are high, and we know this is going to be a close election—tthat’s why a vote for any third-party candidate is a vote for Donald Trump.”
The New York Times reported on the morning of West’s announcement that Trump friends believe third-party candidates will help Trump’s reelection chances. On social media, Scott Presler, an ally, has messaged both West and Jill Stein from the Green Party about assisting them in getting on the ballot.
Ceyanna Dent, West co-campaign manager, stated that “Scott Presler has not worked with the campaign in any capacity.” Dent did, however, say that the campaign team had been briefed on his plans.
Smiley asked West about becoming a potential spoiler in 2024, and he responded, “No politician owns a vote. We are committed to our beliefs. If you go with us, you can alter the world.”
