(NewsSpace.com) – Every election year, there’s typically at least one third-party candidate who runs as an outlier. This year, there are a few who have decided to make that move, including Robert F. Kennedy (RFK) Jr. and Cornel West. The latter has now decided who his running mate should be.
Cornel West, a former Harvard professor, is considered a long shot to win the election. However, that hasn’t stopped him from trying, or from choosing who he’d like to be his second-in-command. On Wednesday, April 10, he announced his selection: Melina Abdullah. She’s a bit of a controversial figure, because not only has she backed the defund the police movement, but she was also a co-founder of the Los Angeles chapter of Black Lives Matter. She’s been notorious for telling people they shouldn’t “believe the words of the police.”
If that wasn’t enough, Abdullah has also come under fire for supporting Minister Louis Farrakhan, despite his years of antisemitism and anti-American controversies.
Speaking of Abdullah, he said he chose her because “She has a record of commitment and investment in ensuring that poor and working people are at the center of her vision.” She currently works at California State University-Los Angeles as a professor of Pan-African Studies and previously served as the department chair.
The move, however, of choosing his vice presidential pick, will benefit West. Some states require that third-party candidates have someone selected in order to get on their ballots. According to Axios, his campaign revealed he made it onto four state ballots so far: Oregon, Utah, South Carolina, and Alaska.
West is definitely facing an uphill battle in what’s looking like a repeat showdown of President Joe Biden vs. former President Donald Trump. Both candidates are hard at work on the campaign trail, and it’s looking like it’s shaping up to be a very close race.
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