This has Democrats worried about one major issue.
When Cornel West, a prominent left-wing intellectual, announced his third-party presidential run, not all Democrats dismissed his campaign. In fact, Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) had positive words to say about it. While Khanna didn’t endorse West, he welcomed his entry into the race, believing that West could bring attention to important principles and ideas and push for progressive policies. Khanna, a former campaign co-chair for Sen. Bernie Sanders, also expressed his support for President Joe Biden and saw West’s bid as potentially helpful to Biden’s cause by attracting more people into the political process.
However, West’s candidacy presents a unique challenge for Democrats. Unlike other fringe candidates, West is not running as a Democrat but rather on the People’s Party ticket. This means he could appear on the general election ballot in a few states, raising concerns among Democrats that he could potentially be a spoiler in the November 2024 election.
West still maintains strong relationships within the circle of Sanders’ supporters, having been a significant surrogate during Sanders’ presidential campaigns. The Sanders Institute, a progressive think tank founded by Sanders’ family, initially retweeted West’s campaign announcement but later deleted it, clarifying that the institute does not take a position on candidates. However, some individuals connected to Sanders, such as RoseAnn DeMoro, a former executive director of National Nurses United, have expressed support for West and his candidacy.
While no third-party candidate has ever won the presidency, Democrats and Republicans have argued that such candidates have acted as spoilers in the past. Democrats point to Jill Stein of the Green Party in 2016, whom they believe siphoned votes from Hillary Clinton, potentially benefiting Donald Trump. Republicans similarly claim that Ross Perot played a role in Bill Clinton’s victory.
Currently, the People’s Party only has ballot access in Florida, but they have ambitions to be on all 50 states’ ballots. Some progressives have speculated about West running on the Green Party’s ballot line as well, although there have been no formal discussions with the Green Party. The possibility remains open, according to the Green Party’s co-chairs of the media committee.
While West has no chance of defeating Biden, there is concern among some Democrats that his candidacy and the support he receives from individuals connected to Sanders may create a permission structure for a small percentage of progressives to turn against the president. Although the majority of liberal voters approve of Biden’s job performance, he faces skepticism among young voters, a crucial demographic for Sanders, with a significant number expressing disapproval.
Sanders himself has consistently shown his support for Biden since the 2020 election, emphasizing unity within the Democratic Party. The Biden campaign has chosen to adopt a similar approach to West as they did with Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., by largely ignoring his candidacy. At this time, the Biden campaign has not provided a comment regarding West’s presidential bid.