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Facebook question of the week: Residents agree West’s presidential run has no chance

Many believe rapper’s intention is to ‘cannibalize’ Biden votes

By Wesley LeBlanc wesley@opcfla.com
Posted 7/15/20

CLAY COUNTY – Move over Donald Trump and Joe Biden: Kanye West said he will enter the race.

Yes, you read that right: Kanye West. The man married to Kim Kardashian. The rapper behind hits like …

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Facebook question of the week: Residents agree West’s presidential run has no chance

Many believe rapper’s intention is to ‘cannibalize’ Biden votes


Posted

Editor's Note: On the morning of July 15, Kanye West announced that he will no longer be a candidate in the 2020 election. We have decided to go ahead with this story to have the opinions of the community heard on the matter.

CLAY COUNTY – Move over Donald Trump and Joe Biden: Kanye West said he will enter the race.
Yes, you read that right: Kanye West. The man married to Kim Kardashian. The rapper behind hits like Gold Digger and Heartless. The designer behind the expensive Yeezy Adidas shoes and the person who, up until recently, was a strong supporter of Trump. It seems West is ready to put aside his music, his shoes and his friendship with Trump because he’s said he’s throwing his hat into the 2020 presidential race.
“We must now realize the promise of America by trusting God, unifying our vision and building our future,” West said in his announcement on Twitter. “I am running for the president of the United States! #2020VISION”
West’s 2020 vision must be something Clay County residents don’t have because when Clay Today asked for their opinions about his intent to run, most agreed his chances of winning are low. West’s tweet last week appeared as a joke or random thought but in the days following the announcement, West has made it very clear that he’s serious.
He plans to run as a candidate for the Birthday Party because “when we win, it’s everybody’s birthday.” He believes abortion clinics were “placed inside cities by white supremacists to do the Devil’s Work” and that vaccines are “the mark of the beast.” As far as what the rest of his political platform looks like, your guess is as good as the next.
“After watching his interview on his ‘platform,’ Kanye West will only serve to cannibalize votes from Biden,” Clay County resident Scott Harrington said.
Sharon Hestekin agreed and said West’s bid is a “tactic against Biden.” This is a viewpoint seen by many. It’s unlikely that would-be Trump voters will change course and vote for Kanye. He admitted that his candidacy could steal votes from Biden, although that’s not guaranteed. Beyond West’s less-than-detailed presidential campaign, he announced his intent to run just four months before the nation will vote for their next president.
The cutoff to qualify has passed in a number of states, although West said he believes he’ll be able to find a way around it by citing coronavirus-related complications in qualification. West said he contracted the virus earlier this year.
“He missed the deadline for quite a few states already if I’m not mistaken, which means he would get no electoral votes from those states,” Missy Leilani said. “So, if he’s in it, it’s not a winning proposition for him. Possibly just to get his feet wet for another run later?”
Jody Cabrera agreed with Leilani and suggested that West give a Congress a go first.
Even Trump has stated that the 2020 election must be a “trial run” for 2024 for West, assuming he’s serious about running in the first place. Trump said after West said he no longer supports him shortly after announcing his own bid for presidency.
“I am taking the red hat off, with this interview,” West told Forbes in one of his first post-announcement interviews.
It’s now on West to not only convince Democrat voters that he is a better choice than Biden, but he must also convince Republican voters to take off their red hats too if he wishes to win the 2020 presidential election.