# Kanye West signals intent to run for presidency **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [July 5, 2020, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kanye-west-signals-intent-to-run-for-presidency/914362 "2020-07-05T04:45:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 11
**Author:** ![scabpicker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scabpicker/32/8268_2.png) [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2020, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kanye-west-signals-intent-to-run-for-presidency/914362/201 "2020-08-14T03:19:40Z")
> [@Sherrerd](#): > > A few years from now someone is going to win a Tony for their post-modern play, featuring an onstage pit of sewage, with puppets depicting Satan, a two-legged insane giraffe, and the ghost of Heinrich Himmler, _Jared and Kanye: Best Buds._ Dang, I want to be hired to score it. I’m sure I’ll lose my ever-loving mind afterward. ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2020, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kanye-west-signals-intent-to-run-for-presidency/914362/202 "2020-08-14T23:02:03Z")
> [@scabpicker](#): > > Dang, I want to be hired to score it. I’m sure I’ll lose my ever-loving mind afterward. So long as you agree to be billed as “scabpicker,” I’m sure you’d be a lock for the production team involved in that particular show. ---
**Author:** ![scabpicker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scabpicker/32/8268_2.png) [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2020, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kanye-west-signals-intent-to-run-for-presidency/914362/203 "2020-08-14T23:54:55Z")
Dang, that’s a good idea. You ever work as an agent? ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2020, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kanye-west-signals-intent-to-run-for-presidency/914362/204 "2020-08-14T23:56:12Z")
> [@scabpicker](#): > > You ever work as an agent? Not in this lifetime. But if this country _does_ go full fascism, a lot of us may end up scrambling for new lines of work… ---
**Author:** ![DinoR](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dinor/32/2821_2.png) [@DinoR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DinoR)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2020, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kanye-west-signals-intent-to-run-for-presidency/914362/205 "2020-08-15T00:06:56Z")
> [@Win\_Place\_Show](#): > > I guess we’ve thrown every “norm” out the window since 2016, but does Kanye ever have to face legit public questions like “you’re running for President – if elected, how would you address the unemployment rate, or the Coronavirus?” He does not have to face any public questioning unless he chooses to. There will likely be a couple handfuls of other candidates for president on every state ballot that nobody has even heard of let alone heard from before. That is entirely normal. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2020, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kanye-west-signals-intent-to-run-for-presidency/914362/206 "2020-08-16T04:18:57Z")
> [@snoe](#): > > Just as an FYI, people who do like hip-hop generally have a ton of respect for West’s talent. Like, best of his generation-level respect. Not anymore, but once. > > His first two albums, in particular, were critical darlings (as well as huge commercial successes). Groundbreaking works that changed how hip-hop sounded going forward. There began to be a slight decline starting (IMHO) with _Graduation_ , but he was still making some good, catchy, and innovative music through the 2000s. > > Even as his work has greatly suffered from his psychological troubles, critics _still_ often praise it — comments like ”a fascinating mess” and the like are common. > > The man’s no longer much of an innovator, but he was, once, absolutely worth paying attention to. If you liked hip-hop, which I know you don’t, but I wanted to battle your ignorance of his talent. > > Also, please note he was already incredibly famous before marrying KK. I always thought of it as a step up for her, not him! She may have been _slightly_ more well-known among the tabloid-reader set, but he absolutely had more status — having, among other things, worked hard in a creative field to earn his money. I never thought much of him, ever. But then, I’m a crusty old fogarty. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2020, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kanye-west-signals-intent-to-run-for-presidency/914362/207 "2020-08-17T22:30:37Z")
Utah today: > **[Kanye West qualifies as presidential candidate in Utah](https://apnews.com/a76a4c66620a4f2f83d04460d89df251)** > > SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Rapper Kanye West has qualified to appear on Utah’s ballot this November as an unaffiliated presidential candidate, an elections official said Monday... ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2020, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kanye-west-signals-intent-to-run-for-presidency/914362/208 "2020-08-20T05:20:36Z")
Poll workers called police on Kanye petition gatherers (and gatherers for another independent candidate) for multiple violations of election laws. > **[Police called after Kanye West signature gatherers were aggressive with poll...](https://trib.com/news/state-and-regional/govt-and-politics/police-called-after-kanye-west-signature-gatherers-were-aggressive-with-poll-workers/article_55578467-70e3-5b3c-b040-fb01477676d3.html)** > > Laramie County Clerk Debra Lee said her office fielded multiple calls from six of the county's seven locations, and in some cases the signature gatherers were combative with poll workers ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2020, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kanye-west-signals-intent-to-run-for-presidency/914362/209 "2020-08-20T14:07:53Z")
A formal vote by the board is still to be had but the Wisconsin State Election Commission staff [recommends keeping Kanye off the ballot](https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/investigations/daniel-bice/2020/08/18/kanye-west-should-kept-off-wisconsin-ballot-elections-staff-says/3396411001/). They state the the “He has until 5:01” argument is a “tortured reading” of the law and find that the signatures were turned in later than 5:01pm anyway. > According to Ruhland’s affidavit, she was told that she entered the glass doors at the building holding the Elections Commission at 14 seconds after 5 p.m. From there, she and an assistant had to walk down the hallway, ride the notoriously slow elevator to the third-floor offices of the commission and turn over the papers to a commission staffer. > > “It is virtually impossible to accomplish these steps in the approximate 46 seconds that would have been needed to present the papers for filing by 5:01, as argued in the response,” the memo said. > > What’s more, Ruhland and her assistant didn’t turn over the ballot petitions to the staff for “several minutes” because they had not numbered the papers in the correct way. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2020, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kanye-west-signals-intent-to-run-for-presidency/914362/210 "2020-08-20T18:31:24Z")
Montana says nope: > **[Kanye West fails to qualify for Montana presidential ballot](https://apnews.com/general-news-0e612347a135015950aea171a7a95352)** > > An effort to get Kanye West qualified for the ballot in Montana as an independent presidential candidate has fallen short. > [@](#): > > Only 3,972 signatures out of nearly 8,800 turned in were deemed valid, state officials said. West needed 5,000 to qualify as an independent candidate. > [@](#): > > Nearly all of the signatures came from Yellowstone County, which validated 3,400 signatures and rejected about 4,200. ---
**Author:** ![OttoDaFe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ottodafe/32/356_2.png) [@OttoDaFe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OttoDaFe)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2020, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kanye-west-signals-intent-to-run-for-presidency/914362/211 "2020-08-20T19:53:22Z")
I know that the Intermountain area — specific to this topic, Montana and Wyoming — are very slowly lightening from their current infrared where Presidential elections are concerned; that said, who believed that Biden was enough of a threat to warrant spending resources to get Kanye West(!) on the ballot in order to counter him? ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2020, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kanye-west-signals-intent-to-run-for-presidency/914362/212 "2020-08-20T19:57:43Z")
> [@OttoDaFe](#): > > …who believed that Biden was enough of a threat to warrant spending resources to get Kanye West(!) on the ballot in order to counter him? The Trump campaign. ---
**Author:** ![OttoDaFe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ottodafe/32/356_2.png) [@OttoDaFe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OttoDaFe)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2020, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kanye-west-signals-intent-to-run-for-presidency/914362/213 "2020-08-20T20:13:59Z")
> [@QuickSilver](#): > > The Trump campaign. In retrospect I probably should have written “who **in their right mind** ” which would have ruled out the Trump campaign. In any case, I suppose the three votes that West would have siphoned off from Biden in those two states are safe. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2020, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kanye-west-signals-intent-to-run-for-presidency/914362/214 "2020-08-20T20:50:20Z")
> [@OttoDaFe](#): > > I know that the Intermountain area — specific to this topic, Montana and Wyoming — are very slowly lightening from their current infrared where Presidential elections are concerned; that said, who believed that Biden was enough of a threat to warrant spending resources to get Kanye West(!) on the ballot in order to counter him? My hypothesis is that they’ve been trying to get West on the ballot in some super-red states so there’s a tissue-thin level of plausible deniability against _only_ putting him on the ballot in battleground states. ---
**Author:** ![Lance\_Turbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lance_turbo/32/6156_2.png) [@Lance\_Turbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lance_Turbo)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2020, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kanye-west-signals-intent-to-run-for-presidency/914362/215 "2020-08-20T23:23:12Z")
Kanye will not be on the ballot in WI per Tweet from Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s Molly Beck. > ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2020, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kanye-west-signals-intent-to-run-for-presidency/914362/216 "2020-08-21T17:12:48Z")
It looks like he won’t be on the ballot in Illinois, either. > **[Kanye West will not be on Illinois’ presidential ballot: report](https://wgntv.com/news/kanye-west-will-not-be-on-illinois-presidential-ballot-report/)** > > CHICAGO — Illinois election officials voted to keep rapper Kanye West off the state’s presidential ballot in November. According to the Chicago Tribune, West was booted off the ballot after a… ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2020, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kanye-west-signals-intent-to-run-for-presidency/914362/217 "2020-08-21T17:38:10Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > It looks like he won’t be on the ballot in Illinois, either. [Or in Ohio](https://www.ohiosos.gov/media-center/press-releases/2020/2020-08-212/). > Additionally, Mr. Kanye West and Ms. Michelle Tidball failed to meet the requirements necessary to appear on the presidential ballot in Ohio for the November 3, 2020 General Election. Based on a review of the documents submitted by the West campaign, both the information and a signature on the original nominating petition and statement of candidacy submitted to the Secretary’s office do not match that of the nominating petition and statement of candidacy that was used to circulate part-petitions. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2020, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kanye-west-signals-intent-to-run-for-presidency/914362/218 "2020-08-21T18:36:57Z")
Ben Jacobs just tweeted that Kanye did not make the ballot in West Virginia either, not even enough signatures. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2020, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kanye-west-signals-intent-to-run-for-presidency/914362/219 "2020-08-25T16:55:28Z")
As of today, [Kanye West has also failed](https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/513559-kanye-west-fails-to-make-ballot-in-missouri-wyoming) in Missouri and Wyoming. Isn’t WY is adopted home state? Sheesh. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2020, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kanye-west-signals-intent-to-run-for-presidency/914362/220 "2020-08-25T20:58:22Z")
Has he gotten on the ballot anywhere but Oklahoma? This is a halfassed attempt, even with all the Repub help. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kanye-west-signals-intent-to-run-for-presidency/914362.md?page=10) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kanye-west-signals-intent-to-run-for-presidency/914362.md?page=12)