Cornel West Announces Presidential Candidacy

Scholar and activist Cornel West announced Monday that he is running for president of the United States as a candidate for the People’s Party.

“I have decided to run for truth and justice, which takes the form of running for president of the United States as a candidate for the People’s Party,” West said in a video announcement on Twitter. “I enter for the quest for truth. I enter for the quest of justice. And the presidency is just one vehicle we pursue that truth and justice.”

I am running for truth and justice as a presidential candidate for the People’s Party to reintroduce America to the best of itself – fighting to end poverty, mass incarceration, ending wars and ecological collapse, guaranteeing housing, health care, education and living wages for… pic.twitter.com/u3NYGUbG1S

— Cornel West (@CornelWest) June 5, 2023

West is known for his academic activism. He is the former professor of the practice of public philosophy at Harvard University and professor emeritus at Princeton University. He is also a prominent critic of capitalism and American imperialism.

West’s candidacy is likely to be seen as a long shot, but he has said that he is running to “shake things up” and to “offer a new vision for America.”

The People’s Party is a relatively new political party that was founded in 2018. The party’s platform calls for a number of progressive reforms, including Medicare for All, tuition-free college, and a Green New Deal.

West’s candidacy is the latest sign of the growing dissatisfaction with the two major political parties in the United States. In recent years, there has been a surge in support for third-party candidates, as well as for independent and grassroots movements. It remains to be seen whether West will be able to translate his academic and activist credentials into electoral success. However, his candidacy is sure to generate a lot of attention and debate.