For those following the side show, Kanye West’s Presidential Campaign has suffered two legal reversals, in Virginia and Arizona, but for differing reasons. First, Virginia:
A Circuit Court judge ordered state officials to remove independent presidential candidate Kanye West from the Virginia ballot Thursday, granting an emergency order sought by two voters who said they were duped into helping the rapper-entrepreneur qualify for the ballot.
Circuit Court Judge Joi Jeter Taylor made the ruling in a lawsuit filed this week by Matthan Wilson and Bryan Wright, who sued state elections officials for putting West on the ballot but faced their only opposition from West, whose attorney petitioned to intervene in the case. [WaPo]
In other words, West supporters cheated in order to get the required signatures. A bit mundane, compared to Arizona:
West has already qualified to appear on the ballot in several states, including Arkansas, Idaho, Iowa, Tennessee and Utah. He didn’t qualify in Ohio, Montana, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin and other states, though he has filed lawsuits challenging some of those decisions.
Earlier this week, Arizona resident Rasean Clayton filed a lawsuit for West to be barred from appearing on the ballot. The lawsuit accused the rapper of serving as an election spoiler and argued that state law barred him from running as an independent candidate because West is a registered Republican. …
Despite those claims, Clayton’s attorneys said West remains a registered Republican. They also said nearly all of West’s electors — who would cast electoral college votes if he were to win — were Republicans until they changed registrations to independent on Monday and Tuesday. [azcentral]
Not only dishonesty, but an interesting accusation of being an election spoiler. This is a legal thing? No statute is cited, of course. On the other hand, having two Republicans running for President on the same ballot does sound dubious.
Especially if they were both marked as Republicans.
I keep wondering if the Republican Trump cult strategists understand the hand grenade they’re playing with here, giving moderate Republicans an alternative to voting for Trump. Sure, I know it’s all a fantasy for little old me[1] to think I know better than professional, if incompetent, strategists, but I can’t help but put myself into a moderate Republican’s shoes, envision the ballot in front of me – and mark it for West rather than Trump.
Or perhaps that’s the entire point to the exercise. Anyone check for links from Kanye West to The Lincoln Project?
