Philosopher Cornel West has announced his bid for the 2024 presidential seat as a third-party candidate.
The progressive author of “Black Prophetic Fire” and “Brother West: Living and Loving Out Loud” announced his bid on Monday in a video shared to his social media profiles. The activist is running as a candidate for the People’s Party, which was founded in 1891 but was revitalized in 2017 by Nick Brana, a former staffer for Bernie Sanders. Though they share most left-wing ideologies, West and the rest of the party look to challenge the Democratic Party.
“I enter in the quest for truth. I enter in the quest for justice, and the presidency is just one vehicle to pursue that truth and justice, what I’ve been trying to do all of my life,” the 70-year-old said in the commercial.
I am running for truth and justice as a presidential candidate for the People’s Party to reintroduce America to the best of itself – fighting to end poverty, mass incarceration, ending wars and ecological collapse, guaranteeing housing, health care, education and living wages for… pic.twitter.com/u3NYGUbG1S
— Cornel West (@CornelWest) June 5, 2023
In his announcement, he took aim at both Republicans and Democrats, accusing both sides of hiding the truth about major American issues such as the Ukraine crisis, tech, and Wall Street. He claimed that his campaign would focus heavily on pressing matters such as women’s reproductive rights, the housing crisis, and providing a living wage for all, which will be central selling points among all candidates as recession worries continue to loom.
West is a former Havard and Princeton professor who now serves as the Dietrich Bonhoeffer Chair at Union Theological Seminary. He’ll have some stiff competition on the campaign trail, running against former Vice President Mike Pence, former President Donald Trump, and current President Joe Biden, amongst others. Billionaire rapper Kanye West is also rumored to try his hand again at the White House.
