Kanye West gets 2 percent in national presidential poll

Rapper Kanye West received 2 percent of the vote in a national presidential poll conducted by Redfield & Wilton Strategies after the megastar announced that he was going to make a late bid for the White House.

Respondents of the poll were first asked who they would vote for in November, without mentioning West’s name.

In that iteration of the survey, presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden led President Trump 48 percent to 40 percent, while third-party candidates Jo Jorgensen, a Libertarian, and Howie Hawkins, a member of the Green Party, each earned 1 percent support.

Voters were then prompted again, the pollster told The Hill.

This time, Redfield & Wilton mentioned West, asking, “If Kanye West is on the ballot in your state in the Presidential Election on 3 November 2020, for whom will you vote?”

In that iteration, Biden led trump 48 percent to 39 percent, while West and Jorgensen each garnered 2 percent support.

National Poll:
Biden 48% (+8)
Trump 40%
Jorgensen (L) 1%
Hawkins (G) 1%

When @kanyewest included in the poll:
Biden 48% (+9)
Trump 39%
West 2%
Jorgensen (L) 2%
Hawkins (G) 1%@RedfieldWilton (July 9)

— Political Polls (@PpollingNumbers) July 13, 2020

The poll was conducted July 9, less than a week after West’s Independence Day tweet declaring his intention to launch his campaign.

We must now realize the promise of America by trusting God, unifying our vision and building our future. I am running for president of the United States ! #2020VISION

— ye (@kanyewest) July 5, 2020

In a subsequent interview with Forbes, West — once an ardent Trump supporter — said he was “taking the red hat off,” referencing the president’s signature “Make America Great Again” hat that West has publicly worn in the past.

“It looks like one big mess to me,” West, 43, continued. “One of the main reasons I wore the red hat as a protest to the segregation of votes in the Black community. … Also, other than the fact that I like Trump hotels and the saxophones in the lobby.”

Despite West saying that he’s running for president, it is still unclear if his campaign will come to fruition. One of the main obstacles West faces is getting his name on the ballot. Half a dozen states’ filing deadlines have already passed, and several more have deadlines this week and next.  

New York magazine reported that West had a team in Florida last week trying to gain enough signatures for him to get on the ballot in the Sunshine State. To appear on the ballot in the November, West would need 132,781 signatures by tomorrow, July 15.

However, political strategist Steve Kramer, who was part of the signature-gathering effort, told the publication Thursday that West was “out.”

West argued in his Forbes interview that he should be allowed more time to file because of the coronavirus pandemic.

“I’m speaking with experts, I’m going to speak with Jared Kushner, the White House, with Biden,” he said.