Spoiler Alert? Cornel West Plans Major 2024 Push In Swing State Michigan
While he has little chance of winning the 2024 election, independent presidential candidate Cornel West has the potential to affect the outcome of what's expected to be a close contest between President Biden and former President Donald Trump.
That reality is underscored by a new report indicating West plans to make a major push in the state of Michigan, which played a pivotal role in 2016 and 2020. Trump officially lost Michigan by 154,000 votes in 2020, after winning it by 10,700 votes in 2016.
West plans to target key Michigan constituencies that are growing increasingly dissatisfied with Biden, including blacks, Arab-Americans, college students, according to plans shared with Politico.
An NBC News poll released over the weekend found that support for support for Biden among 18- to 34-year-old voters cratered by 15% just since September, as that cohort seethes over the administration's unwavering support for Israel in its war on Gaza. Seeing an opening, West will visit colleges including the University of Michigan and Michigan State as part of a swing through the state early next year.
Biden's Israel policy is even more toxic for Arab-Americans and Muslims, a major minority in Michigan. Dearborn, for example, has America's largest Muslim population per capita. A 2020 exit poll sponsored by the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) found Muslims turned out at a remarkable 84% clip, with 69% voting for Biden against just 17% for Trump.
People are hungry for change. They want good policies over partisan politics. We need to break the grip of the duopoly and give power to the people. I'm running as an Independent candidate for President of the United States to end the iron grip of the ruling class and ensure true… pic.twitter.com/34FFQARTEe
— Cornel West (@CornelWest) October 5, 2023
Expect something different in 2024:
"President Joe Biden's support among Arab Americans, who are crucial voters in battleground election states, has plunged from a comfortable majority in 2020 to just 17%, a new poll shows, amid growing anger over the Democratic president's support for Israel's attacks on Gaza" - Reuters
West has already joined several pro-Palestinian protests and plans to visit Dearborn early next year in coordination with Jewish Voice for Peace. West is well-positioned to be an attractive "protest vote" option for those who are angry with Biden but not persuaded to vote for Trump.
There will be plenty of voters receptive to West's anti-war, pro-Palestinian message. “Joe Biden has single-handedly alienated almost every Arab-American and Muslim American voter in Michigan,” Democratic state Rep. Alabas Farhat said last month. “I think there’s going to be a lot of people that remember when you won Michigan years ago by a razor-thin margin, when you won Georgia with a razor-thin margin, when you won Arizona by a razor-thin margin — do not be surprised if there are consequences for your actions.”
Blacks are another group turning against Biden: The national NBC poll found 20% percent of blacks now support Trump, compared to 69% for Biden. That a big shift: A Pew Research survey found Biden won the 2020 black vote by an overwhelming 92-to-8 margin.
West isn't the only wild card in the 2024 race. Independent Robert F. Kennedy Jr's impact is uncertain, while Jill Stein's November announcement of a Green Party bid caused flashbacks among Democrats who blame her for supposedly diverting enough 2016 votes from Hillary Clinton to allow Trump to win the presidency.
