Kanye West loans presidential campaign over $6 million

Kanye West has loaned his presidential campaign millions of dollars, according to a Federal Election Commission (FEC) report that sheds new light on the rapper’s quixotic White House bid.

The report released Friday shows that West’s campaign is virtually entirely self-funded, with the rapper funneling nearly $6.8 million of his own money into the effort. By comparison, West has raised just more than $11,000 in outside donations.

The filing provides the first real glimpse into the financial details of the rapper’s campaign, which has so far been shrouded in mystery.

The report showed West spent $5.9 million and owes more than $1.2 million in outstanding debt to consultants. Of the money spent, about $4.4 million has gone toward securing spots on presidential ballots across the country, which has thus far landed him on at least 11 states’ ballots.

The spending also confirmed that West’s campaign is being backed by GOP strategists.

The campaign gave nearly $1.3 million to Atlas Strategy Group, which is led by prominent Republican operative Gregg Keller. However, he’s also paid $2.6 million to Millennial Strategies, a Long Island-based firm that has consulted for Democrats.

Assuming he stays in the race, West won’t have to file another FEC report until mid-October. 

West, a former supporter of President Trump, said in an interview last month that he is “not denying” that his campaign could do damage to former Vice President Joe Biden’s White House bid.

While he is incredibly unlikely to gain traction for his own race, his presence could make a difference in a presidential contest that might be decided at the margins.

A Politico-Morning Consult national poll released in August showed him garnering just 2 percent support among likely voters overall as well as among Black voters — an amount that made the difference in several swing states in 2016.