Presidential long shot Cornel West picks VP
California academic will be running mate
Independent presidential candidate Cornel West has selected a fellow academic and activist as his running mate: Melina Abdullah, a pan-African studies professor at California State University, Los Angeles and a co-founder of Black Lives Matter Los Angeles.
The long-shot candidate made the announcement Wednesday on “The Tavis Smiley Show.”
“She has a record of deep commitment and investment in ensuring that poor and working people are at the center of her vision,” West said of Abdullah, 51.
“I wanted to run with someone who would put a smile on the face of (voting and civil rights activist) Fannie Lou Hamer and Martin Luther King Jr. from the grave.”
Abdullah has not run for political office before. She said in a statement that the West-Abdullah ticket “offers a real vision for the world that stands in opposition to oppressive forces and holds fast to the universal principles of truth, justice, and love.”
“We reimagine and work to build a world that chooses goodwill over greed, courage over cowardice, and liberation over exploitation,” Abdullah continued. “Together, we are igniting a movement to not only dismantle harmful systems, but establish the firm foundations of a just, nurturing, and free world.”
A possible spoiler
West’s pick for vice president comes as he’s struggling for relevancy in a presidential contest that already features Democratic incumbent Joe Biden, presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump and fellow independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who announced March 26 that lawyer and philanthropist Nicole Shanahan would be his running mate.
Only 2% of those surveyed in the latest Suffolk University/USA TODAY poll said they planned to support West.
West is “unlikely to get on the ballot in all 50 states,” but he could emerge as a spoiler, said David Paleologos, director of Suffolk’s Political Research Center. He received about 7% of the Black vote in the poll, which could hurt Biden’s chances, Paleologos said.
West’s campaign has said he is already on the ballot in four states: Alaska, Oregon, South Carolina and Utah, either independently or affiliated with minor parties, although officials from those states have yet to confirm. West’s choice of Abdullah allows him to gather signatures to get on the ballot in more states.
West’s choice of Abdullah, who is Muslim, may also appeal to voters who don’t like the way the Biden administration has handled the Israel-Hamas war, said Christopher Devine, an associate professor of political science at the University of Dayton: “This move might solidify support with his small group of voters who want to protest the Biden administration and make a statement.”
Democratic National Committee spokesman Matt Corridoni had a different take from the political scientists. “Our view remains the same: only two candidates have a path to 270 electoral votes, President Biden and Donald Trump,” Corridoni said in a statement. “A vote for any third party candidate is a vote for Donald Trump.”
A longtime progressive activist and scholar, West is a liberal thought leader and was a key surrogate for Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., during the senator’s 2016 and 2020 presidential campaigns.