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West said on Twitter that he was running for the White House
with the small, leftist People's Party, "fighting to end
poverty, mass incarceration, ending wars and ecological
collapse, guaranteeing housing, health care, education and
living wages for all!"
West, 70, a prominent philosopher whose works have focused on
race and class in U.S. society, enters the race with little hope
of winning the White House but with a chance of siphoning votes
from Democratic President Joe Biden in next year's election.
"I want to reintroduce America to the best of itself – the
dignity, courage and creativity of precious everyday people,"
West declared on his People's Party website.
The history of American presidential politics is littered with
failed third-party attempts. But some have had major impacts on
presidential elections.
Ross Perot's third-party run in the 1992 election is widely seen
as a significant factor in the defeat of former Republican
President George H.W. Bush to Democrat Bill Clinton, as Perot
siphoned off a chunk of Republican voters in the nearly 20
million votes he received.
In 2000, many analysts believe Democratic presidential candidate
Al Gore would have beaten Republican George W. Bush if Green
Party candidate Ralph Nader had not run. Nader appeared on the
ballot in crucial swing states, including Florida where the
entire presidential election was decided by a few hundred votes,
giving Bush the presidency.
West is a professor at Union Theological Seminary in New York.
He previously taught at Harvard and Princeton universities.
(Reporting by Tim Reid; Editing by Alistair Bell)
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