Democratic strategist David Axelrod said the Green Party bid by academic Cornel West could draw votes away from President Biden, leading to a victory for former President Trump.
“In 2016, the Green Party played an outsized role in tipping the election to Donald Trump. Now, with Cornel West as their likely nominee, they could easily do it again. Risky business,” he tweeted.
West is seeking the Green Party nomination as a progressive candidate, driven by a pursuit for social and economic justice, he said in a campaign announcement.
Axelrod compared West to 2016 Green Party candidate Jill Stein, who some blamed for splitting the vote for Hillary Clinton in key electoral states, potentially causing Clinton’s electoral loss to former President Trump.
Stein won more votes than Trump’s margin of victory in Wisconsin and Michigan, states which would have tipped the outcome of the election if Clinton had won them.
Democrats have raised concerns over attempts to float third party candidates in a Biden-Trump 2024 matchup, including by West and by the organization “No Labels,” who have pledged to put forth a “unity ticket,” which would exist outside the two-party system.
Republican strategists have shared similar concerns, with former Trump advisor Kellyanne Conway saying West poses a big threat to Biden’s campaign.
A poll last month found that nearly half of voters would at least consider a third party candidate in a second Biden-Trump matchup. The most popular potential candidates in that poll were Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.). Sanders has backed Biden, while Manchin and Cheney have not publicly announced their 2024 plans.