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Kanye West Gives $73K To Amara Enyia, Progressive Candidate For Chicago Mayor Campaign

Kanye West Gives $73K To Amara Enyia, Progressive Candidate For Chicago Mayor Campaign

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Jamarlin talks to Alfred Liggins, CEO of Urban One (NASDAQ: UONEK) about why he never merged with BET and whether going public inspired the Fox series “Empire”. They discuss the Democratic Party neglecting Black media when it comes to campaign ad spending, and the disconnect between Black CEOs and Obama.

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It is really hard to figure out where the politics of Kanye West tilts. Just earlier this month, West was sitting down with Donald Trump for lunch, praising the President and wearing a “Make America Great Again” baseball cap. Now comes word that the 41-year-old rapper has given more than $73,000 to Chicago mayoral candidate Amara Enyia, who Chance the Rapper has also backed. As a Progressive, Enyia is about as far away from the politics of Trump as one can get.

After Chance the Rapper endorsed the little-known candidate, who at the time had just $67.54 in her campaign bank account and was facing thousands of dollars in fines from the Illinois State Board of Elections, Enyia was all of a sudden in the spotlight.

In fact, West’s donation ($73,540) is “the exact amount in fines Enyia faced from state election officials in connection with her brief 2015 campaign for mayor, and the West Side activist’s campaign confirmed she used West’s money to pay the penalties,” the Chicago Tribune reported.

Rapper Kanye West speaks during a meeting in the Oval Office of the White House with President Donald Trump, Thursday, Oct. 11, 2018, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

 

She had been fined because after dropping her mayoral run four years ago, she never closed her campaign account. State election officials fined her for not filing quarterly campaign finance reports as required by law. After the donation by West, Enyia’s campaign released a statement saying “the $73,540 debt to the Illinois State Board of Elections has been paid in full.”

“The Amara Enyia campaign thanks Chicago native, Kanye West, for his generous action,” the statement read. “Amara’s campaign is energizing people around the city with bold ideas and solutions that move Chicago forward. We are excited to engage people of all walks of life as we focus our efforts on getting on the ballot.”

Enyia, a policy consultant and director of the Austin Chamber of Commerce, reported spoke with West on the phone last month and “discussed police brutality, stop and frisk, the need for mental health clinics, and increasing investment in financially struggling neighborhoods, the outlet reported,” People reported.

“[A] specific conversation was warranted with Kanye, to make sure there was alignment on the policy platform and issues I’ve advocated for,” Enyia said. “So, we definitely had a conversation, and when we talk about what Chicago needs and what it will take to get us there, he sees this campaign as a vital part of that, and that is what prompted him to support us and get over this financial barrier we have had.”

According to Enyia said the conversation was not panned and in fact “out of the blue.” She added that West texted her following Chance’s endorsement.