Independent candidate Cornel West’s campaign said Monday that it submitted more than four times the signatures needed to secure a spot on Georgia’s November ballot and join other little-known candidates who could play an outsized role in the battleground state.
West’s campaign said it far surpassed the 7,500 signatures from registered Georgia voters needed to qualify for the ballot ahead of a Tuesday deadline to submit the documents. He won’t be formally granted a spot on the November slate until state officials verify the signatures.
Libertarian Chase Oliver is already on the November ballot, and independent Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is also expected to gain a spot. And Claudia De la Cruz, running on the Party for Socialism and Liberation, has also submitted signatures to state officials.
Barring a seismic political upheaval, none will capture Georgia. But all could serve as potential disruptors in a tight race between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump in Georgia, which was decided by fewer than 12,000 votes in 2020.
West’s shoestring campaign has hardly garnered attention in Georgia and other competitive states. But Democrats fear West will drain votes that would otherwise go to Biden and strengthen Trump’s bid to flip Georgia back to the GOP column.
NBC News reported last month that Republican-leaning operatives are working to help West get on the ballot in some competitive states by saying it helps siphon support from Biden.
The report was cited in a June vote by North Carolina’s state election board against giving ballot access to parties supporting both Kennedy and West.
West would face no such barrier in Georgia, where candidates have two avenues to land on the ballot.
The first is collecting the required 7,500 signatures from registered voters. The second is outlined in a new state law that allows “any political party or political body” that has achieved ballot access in at least 20 states or territories to automatically qualify for Georgia’s presidential ballot.
About the Author
