Distinguished civil rights scholar and actor in the “The Matrix” series Cornel West is currently running as an independent candidate for the 2024 presidential election with the help of his wife, LBCC professor Annahita Mahdavi-West.
Mahdavi-West has been a professor at LBCC since 2015 and married West in 2021.
Photo courtesy of Annahita Mahdavi-West.
West announced his presidential run as a People’s Party candidate on June 5, 2023 but switched to run to be the Green Party’s presidential nominee.
He then dropped out of the Green Party nominee race and declared he would run for the presidential election as a completely independent candidate.
As an independent candidate, West faces more challenges than a candidate supported by either the Democratic or Republican Parties or even one of various third parties.
“I can’t complain,” West said. “When you’re an independent candidate fighting a two-party system there are going to be obstacles.”
Mahdavi-West has also been incredibly active in West’s campaign, accompanying him along the campaign trail from state to state.
“This campaign confirmed everything I believe about politicians,” Mahdavi-West said.
It is notoriously difficult for third party, much less unaffiliated independent candidates, to not only raise the funds necessary but also get their name listed on official ballots across the country.
“In this election, I don’t believe a third party or independent candidate could win,” Mahdavi-West said. “The way the Democratic Party has blocked third party candidates makes it difficult.”
However, Mahdavi-West believes that third party candidates – like Cornel West – serve an important role in bringing attention to issues not brought up by either Democratic or Republican candidates.
West is an official write-in candidate in California, but does not have his name on the ballot.
The process of getting an independent candidate’s name on state ballots is arduous, as each state has its own requirements.
Throughout West’s campaign, Mahdavi-West continued to teach full-time at LBCC while still supporting her husband.
“I did not sacrifice either,” Mahdavi-West said. “It just added longer hours to my job.”
West expressed his appreciation of Mahdavi-West’s support, both as his wife and a political advocate like himself.
“Annahita is wonderful,” West said. “I don’t have a language for it.”
West stated that he believes his campaign raises issues that neither of the main parties are willing to speak about, particularly ones that younger voters are concerned with, such as the U.S.’s continued involvement in Israel.
There are no current projections for how many votes West may receive once the election concludes, but third party candidates historically get only a minimal amount.
According to MaristPoll, West and other third party candidates are cumulatively projected to receive less than 1% of the national vote.