Honestly, it feels like a fever dream now. Most people remember the headlines, the memes, and the red hat, but the actual Kanye West run for president was a chaotic, expensive, and deeply strange piece of American political history that actually happened. It wasn't just a tweet. He spent millions. He hired actual political consultants. He even got on the ballot in twelve states.
If you ask the average person what they remember, they’ll probably mention that one rally in South Carolina where he wore a bulletproof vest. Or maybe the "Birthday Party" name. But if you look at the FEC filings and the court battles, there was a lot more going on under the hood than just a publicity stunt for an album.
Why the Kanye West Run for President Actually Mattered
Look, third-party candidates usually get ignored. It's the "two-party system" curse. But when you’re one of the most famous people on the planet, you don't get ignored; you get scrutinized by lawyers and party operatives who are terrified you'll "spoil" the race.
Basically, the 2020 campaign was a mess of missed deadlines and legal warfare. He announced it on July 4, 2020. That is late. Like, "missed the deadline for most states" late. To get on the ballot as an independent, you need thousands of signatures, and you need them months in advance.
Kanye ended up on the ballot in these states:
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- Arkansas
- Colorado
- Idaho
- Iowa
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Oklahoma
- Tennessee
- Utah
- Vermont
He didn't just wake up and decide to be on those ballots. It cost him. We’re talking nearly $13.2 million of his own money. He poured cash into signature-gathering firms. In some places, like Wisconsin, he missed the filing deadline by literally seconds—14 seconds, to be exact—and the courts didn't budge.
The Wakanda Vision and the Platform
You've gotta give it to him: the platform was unique. He didn't talk like a politician because he isn't one. He told Forbes he wanted to model the White House after Wakanda from Black Panther. He wanted more innovation, more "design" in government.
He called it the "Birthday Party" because, in his words, "when we win, it’s everybody’s birthday." Sorta charming, mostly confusing. His actual policy stances were a wild mix of traditional Christian conservatism and radical reform. He was pro-life, supported school prayer, and wanted to reform the police and the prison system.
It was a "consistent life ethic" approach. He opposed the death penalty just as much as he opposed abortion. That doesn't really fit into the Republican or Democratic boxes.
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The 2024 Attempt and the Fallout
After the 2020 "Welp" tweet where he conceded (after getting around 60,000 to 70,000 votes total), he immediately pivoted to 2024. But that second attempt was much darker.
By late 2022, the Kanye West run for president became entangled with far-right figures like Nick Fuentes and Milo Yiannopoulos. It wasn't about "Wakanda" anymore. It was overshadowed by antisemitic rants and the loss of his massive Yeezy partnership with Adidas.
By October 2023, his lawyer, Bruce Marks, basically told the world that Ye wasn't actively running anymore. The campaign had stagnated. No money was being spent. The energy was gone.
What Most People Miss About the Legal Battles
A lot of folks think he was just a "pawn" for the GOP to siphoning off Black votes from Joe Biden. There was some evidence that Republican-linked lawyers were helping him with ballot access in certain states. But Kanye himself claimed he was just "walking" toward the presidency, not running.
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In Arizona, the Supreme Court threw his electors out because they didn't fill out the paperwork correctly. In West Virginia, they struck over half of his signatures. It turns out that American election law is a giant, complicated wall that is very hard to climb if you don't have a massive party machine behind you.
He was even on the ballot in California as a Vice Presidential candidate for the American Independent Party—without his consent. The whole thing was a procedural nightmare.
Actionable Insights: What This Teaches Us
If you're looking at this as a case study in celebrity politics, there are a few real takeaways:
- Ballot Access is Everything: You can have a billion dollars and 30 million followers, but if you don't have a team that knows how to file paperwork in 50 different jurisdictions by May, you aren't a real candidate.
- The "Spoiler" Myth is Complicated: Most data from 2020 suggests Kanye didn't actually flip any states. His 60k votes were spread out. In a race decided by millions, he was a rounding error.
- The Infrastructure Gap: Celebrities often underestimate the "ground game." It’s not about the rally; it's about the notary who validates the signatures.
To really understand the impact, you can look up the FEC "Kanye 2020" filings (C00751701). They show exactly where the $14 million went. Most of it went to consultants and legal fees, not ads.
If you want to track where his political influence stands now, keep an eye on his current musical projects like Bully. The politics haven't disappeared; they've just moved back into the art. You can check the Federal Election Commission website periodically to see if any new "Statement of Candidacy" forms are filed under his name for future cycles, as those are public record.