It started with a tweet on the Fourth of July. In 2020, while most of the world was locked down or distracted, Kanye West—now legally known as Ye—dropped a digital bombshell that shifted the cultural conversation for months. He announced he was running for president.
People laughed. Some got angry. Others actually reached for their ballots.
Honestly, the whole thing felt like a fever dream. One minute he’s at a rally in South Carolina wearing a bulletproof vest, and the next, he’s explaining how his White House would be modeled after the fictional country of Wakanda from Black Panther. It wasn’t just a stunt for an album, though many suspected it. It was a chaotic, multi-million dollar venture into the American political machine.
The Logistics of the Birthday Party
Why the "Birthday Party"? Because, as Ye put it, when he wins, it’s everyone’s birthday. It’s that kind of logic that defined the entire 2020 run.
But behind the quirky name was a massive amount of cash and a lot of legal paperwork. Kanye spent roughly $13.2 million of his own money on the 2020 race. That is a staggering amount for a campaign that only managed to get on the ballot in 12 states.
States where Ye actually appeared on the ballot:
- Arkansas
- Colorado
- Idaho
- Iowa
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Oklahoma
- Tennessee
- Utah
- Vermont
He missed deadlines in almost every other state. In some places, like Wisconsin, his team literally missed the filing deadline by seconds. A judge eventually ruled he couldn't be on the ballot there because "seconds count."
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You’ve probably heard people say he was just a "spoiler" candidate meant to siphoned votes away from Joe Biden to help Donald Trump. While the data shows he only pulled about 60,000 to 70,000 votes nationally, the suspicion remained high because of his previous ties to the GOP and his public meetings with Jared Kushner.
Kanye Running for President Again in 2024?
After the 2020 loss—where he famously tweeted "WELP" before changing it to "KANYE 2024"—the rapper didn't just go away. He doubled down.
The 2024 cycle was way darker. It wasn't about Wakanda or "culture of life" platforms anymore. It became a whirlwind of controversy. In late 2022, he confirmed his intent to run again, but this time he was surrounded by far-right figures like Milo Yiannopoulos and Nick Fuentes. This period was marked by deeply offensive, antisemitic remarks that led to him losing his partnership with Adidas and Gap.
Basically, the "campaign" became a series of podcast appearances rather than a political movement.
By October 2023, the steam had totally run out. His lawyer finally confirmed to the media that Ye was not actively a candidate for the 2024 election. The FEC filings showed almost no activity compared to the $12 million-plus he dropped four years prior.
What Most People Get Wrong About the Platform
It wasn't all just random thoughts. If you actually look at the "10-point platform" he released, it was a strange mix of ultra-conservative Christian values and progressive social reform.
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He wanted to:
- Restore prayer in schools.
- Provide a strong national defense.
- Support the arts.
- Reform the legal system to provide "restorative justice" for the Black community.
- Prioritize the environment through "stewardship."
He called his approach a "mixture of the Trump campaign and maybe the Bernie Sanders principles." It’s a wild combination that doesn't fit into a standard box, which is exactly why it fascinated and frustrated so many people.
The Reality of the "Write-In" Strategy
In states where he wasn't on the ballot, Ye urged followers to write him in. In California, things got even weirder. He was listed as the Vice Presidential candidate for the American Independent Party—a spot he didn't even ask for.
Writing in a candidate is usually a symbolic gesture. For Ye, it was a way to stay in the game without the ground game of a traditional politician. He didn't have the "get out the vote" infrastructure. He had a Twitter account (now X) and a massive personal brand.
But branding doesn't equal signatures. To get on the ballot in Florida, for example, a candidate needs over 130,000 signatures. Reports suggest his team was paying people $5,000 to scramble for signatures at the last minute. It didn't work.
Impact and Cultural Legacy
Was it a failure? In terms of winning the Oval Office, obviously. But Kanye running for president changed how we look at celebrity candidates.
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It proved that even with $100 million in the bank and 100% name recognition, you cannot bypass the bureaucracy of the U.S. election system. Deadlines matter. Notarized signatures matter.
It also highlighted the deep-seated distrust many voters have with the two-party system. The fact that 10,000 people in Tennessee alone voted for a rapper with no political experience says something about the desire for "outsider" energy, even when that energy is erratic.
Practical Takeaways from the Ye Campaigns
If you’re looking at the history of Kanye’s political ambitions, here is what is actually verifiable:
- Financial Risk: Self-funding a campaign is a fast way to lose millions with zero ROI.
- Legal Barriers: Third-party candidates face massive hurdles that require years of planning, not a few months.
- Platform Clarity: Without a clear, consistent message, a campaign eventually collapses under its own weight.
Moving forward, if you're tracking celebrity political runs, look at their "ground game" first. Do they have lawyers in all 50 states? Are they filing FEC reports on time? If the answer is no, it’s likely a branding exercise rather than a serious bid for power.
To stay informed on future filings, you can check the Federal Election Commission (FEC) database directly. Searching for "Ye" or "Kanye West" under candidate filings will show you exactly how much money is being raised or spent in real-time. This is the only way to separate social media hype from an actual, legal run for office.
Monitoring state-level Secretary of State websites during election years is also the best way to see who actually qualified for the ballot versus who is just talking about it on a podcast.