Cornel West in Detroit, March 6, 2020. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
On June 5, Dr. Cornel West announced he would run for president as a third-party candidate.
“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,” the philosopher, political activist, social critic, and former educator said in his announcement posted 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,” he continued.
But now, the former Harvard University professor has switched parties. He will now be running for the Green Party.
Here are five things to know.
The progressive scholar said the move is in order to build a progressive coalition around his candidacy.
“In the spirit of a broad United Front and coalition strategy, I am pursuing the nomination of the Green Party for President of the United States,” West wrote on Twitter.
West asked his followers to “continue to support this unprecedented effort to empower precious poor and working people here and abroad.”
He added, “I thank the volunteers of the People’s Party for the initial launch!”
The Green Party was happy about the switch.
“The Green Party welcomes Dr. Cornel West as a candidate seeking the party’s nomination for president,” the political federation said. “Dr. West is an important voice for social and economic justice in line with our party’s platform.”
The Party also tweeted, “Dr. West is an important voice for social and economic justice in line with our party’s platform. We look forward to him participating in the nomination process,” The Hill reported.
“We look forward to him participating in the nomination process,” the Green Party continued.
West has wasted no time in going after President Joe Biden. He referred to him as “mediocre” and “milquetoast” in a recent interview, Fox News reported.
During an interview on KBLA’s Tavis Smiley podcast, West responded to the complaint that his third-party candidacy will be “pulling votes away from Biden.”
“When somebody chooses to vote for you, you’re not pulling votes away. You see, Biden doesn’t own any votes. He’s got to earn it. He’s got to earn it,” West answered.
“If the Democrats are putting out mediocre, milquetoast, neoliberal politicians who can’t say a mumbling word about militarism, can’t say a mumbling word about a serious response to poverty, can’t say a mumbling word about serious White supremacist practices — I mean, Biden himself said America is not a racist society. I said, ‘Get off the crack pipe,'” he added, referring to a 2021 speech in which Biden said he didn’t think America was a racist nation.
Founded in 2001, the Green Party of the United States (GPUS) is an independent political party that is “connected to American social movements and is part of a global Green movement that shares key values, including our Four Pillars: Peace and Non-Violence, Ecological Wisdom, Grassroots Democracy, and Social Justice, and our Ten Key Values,” according to its website.
According to the site, the Green Party has more than 100 elected officials around the country. It also noted, the party does not accept corporate money.
The party promotes green politics, specifically environmentalism; nonviolence; social justice; participatory democracy; grassroots democracy; anti-war; anti-racism; libertarian socialism and eco-socialism
Political activist Cornel West speaks at a campaign rally for Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., in Detroit, March 6, 2020. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
