Democrats Fear Cornel West Could Derail Biden’s Reelection Campaign

A growing number of Democrats are worried that third-party presidential candidate Cornel West could siphon voters from President Biden and derail his reelection efforts.

West launched his campaign in June 2023, running with the People’s Party, painting himself as a progressive alternative to Biden.

“I care about the quality of your life. I care about whether you have access to a job with a living wage, decent housing, women having control over their bodies, health care for all, de-escalating the destruction of the planet,” West said in his launch video.

Weeks later, West switched his party affiliation to the Green Party, reminding Democrats about 2016 Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein. Analysts have suggested Stein contributed to former President Trump’s victory against Hillary Clinton by capturing enough voters in three battleground states.

“I think he has a very long record of service and academic thought leadership,” Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) told the Hill last week. “I think just right now, given the Electoral College, it’s very difficult to square the very real threat of a Republican presidency … [with] the risk of giving up the very small margin of electoral votes needed to ensure that President Biden wins.”

“The stakes are too high this year, especially if Trump is the nominee,” said Rep. Jim McGovern (D-MA), a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus. “I think everybody, including the most progressive elements of our country, need to protect our democracy by stopping Donald Trump and supporting Joe Biden.

“I worry about those things because Cornel West is a very effective speaker and can be very persuasive. I am not here to question his motives or bash him, because I’ve followed him for many, many years, but I just wish he wasn’t doing it,” McGovern said.

West recently fought back at accusations that his candidacy is siphoning votes away from Biden. “When somebody chooses to vote for you, you’re not pulling votes away. You see, Biden doesn’t own any votes. He’s got to earn it. He’s got to earn it,” he said in an interview with Tavis Smiley in June.