In the last month, Kanye West has been continuously making headlines. The rapper re-joined social media, publicly dissed his wife, announced an album named after his mother which has already been delayed, and lastly, launched a presidential campaign. In the past, the rapper has been a vocal Trump supporter but said he was distancing himself from the Republican Party to instead run as in Independent. Despite his Independent affiliation, West is reportedly working closely with several members of the GOP.
A recent report from The Intelligencer shows West has campaign ties with Republican Party members as he attempts to get his name on the ballot in several states ahead of November’s election. Per the report, one of West’s electors in the state of Vermont as well as his campaign’s Arkansas point of contact are known members of the Republican Party.
Chuck Wilton, who will serve as one of West’s electors in Vermont, was also elected in May by the Vermont Republican Party to serve as a Trump delegate at this year’s Republican National Convention. When questioned by The Intelligencer, Wilton said he had been connected to West through “political contacts” and denotes that West similarly falls “center right” on the political spectrum. As for the second Republican contact in his campaign, West has invited Gregg Keller to be his point-of-contact in Arkansas. Keller has previously worked on the campaign for other Republican Party members like Mitt Romney and successfully assisted West in getting his name on the Arkansas ballot.
If West did succeed in getting his name on the ballot in more states, the rapper would still have a number of hurdles to jump before further participating in the race. West still needs to hold 270 electoral votes in order to participate in the presidential debates as well as have a 15 percent support in the polls. So far, West is falling short of 15 percent, as his July polling numbers saw just 2 percent support.