Kanye West is back in the news as the controversial rapper moves to get his name on the presidential ballot in multiple states, and according to the Washington Examiner, he now has a running mate as well.
Arkansas officials confirmed on Monday that West has obtained the 1,000 signatures necessary to run as an independent candidate in the state and that his running mate has been identified as Michelle Tidball.
On July 9, Forbes ran a piece noting that Tidball, a 57-year-old resident of Wyoming, characterizes herself as a “biblical life coach” and runs an online Bible study program as part of a non-profit organization called “Abundant Ministries.”
West campaign rolls on
According to the Examiner, West’s name has already been approved to appear on the ballot in Oklahoma, and similar efforts are underway in Missouri, Illinois, New Jersey, and Wisconsin, with the Dairy State viewed by most political observers as a critical presidential swing state.
New York Magazine notes that West’s campaign has been plagued by a host difficulties thus far, with New Jersey elections lawyer Scott Salmon alleging that the signatures his campaign submitted in that state were fraudulent.
“Why does literally every signature on the same page look the same?” the magazine quoted Salmon as asking. He described West’s submission as being the “most egregious” example of electoral fraud that he has ever seen.
Fellow rap star 50 Cent also expressed criticism of West’s campaign effort during an interview with Billboard. The musician called the move “a diversion” and jokingly announced political ambitions of his own.
“I’m going to run to create a diversion for someone else,” he said. “The new thing is to run to create a diversion, to distract people. Would you run against someone who just gave you $2 million?”
“Joe Biden’s not special”
West first announced his decision to run with a July 4 tweet that read, “We must now realize the promise of America by trusting God, unifying our vision and building our future. I am running for president of the United States!”
Prior to that, the fashion and music mogul received a great deal of attention for his unexpected, yet enthusiastic support of President Trump, but West indicated during an interview with Forbes that he had since lost confidence in the president.
Even so, West was far more cutting with his words when describing presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden.
Obama’s special,” West stated. “Trump’s special. We say Kanye West is special. America needs special people that lead. Bill Clinton? Special. Joe Biden’s not special.”
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