Rapper Kanye West congratulated California Sen. Kamala Harris on being picked as former Vice President Joe Biden‘s running mate on the 2020 Democratic presidential ticket ahead of this week’s Democratic National Convention. West told Harris it is an “honor” to run against her and believes his late mother Donda would have been friends with her. West is mounting a controversial third-party presidential campaign, which has connections to President Donald Trump.
“I know my mom and Kamala Harris would have been friends … congratulations on being the democratic Vice President nominee,” West wrote, alongside a praying hands emoji. “All love and respect from the future president. It’s an honor to run against you.” West also included an emoji of a dove with an olive branch.
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West’s post comes amid growing scrutiny over his campaign’s connection to the Trump administration and Republican operatives. In an Aug. 6 Forbes interview, West appeared to confirm speculation his campaign is meant to hurt Biden, although he said he was “walking” for president, “walking… to win.” When asked if his campaign could hurt Biden, he said he is “not denying it.”
West has already missed the filing deadline for several major states, but he is still filing for other states with later deadlines. On Friday, Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate confirmed on Twitter that representatives from West’s campaign dropped off nominating petitions. “We will review the petitions to ensure they meet the minimum requirements,” Pate wrote.
In the states where West’s campaign has already filed, there have been controversies over signatures. In Illinois, an election review board found that 1,928 of the 3,218 signatures West submitted were invalid, meaning he would fall short of the 2,500 needed to appear on the ballot. A hearing examiner will then recommend to the Illinois State Board of Elections if West should appear on the ballot or not, and the board has until Aug. 21 to make a decision. In Wisconsin, a battle is brewing after Mickey Mouse and Sen. Bernie Sanders’ names appeared among West’s nomination signatures there.
Meanwhile, the New York Times reported this week that West met with Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and a White House advisor. Forbes later reported that the two talk “almost daily.” Kushner later confirmed he spoke with West when he was recently in Colorado. “We had a great discussion about a lot of things,” Kushner said. “He has some great ideas for what he’d like to see happen in the country, and that’s why he has the candidacy that he’s been doing. But again, there’s a lot of issues that the president’s championed that he admires, and it was just great to have a friendly discussion.”
