Kanye West Files With FEC Despite Reports His Presidential Campaign Is Over

Kanye West filed with the Federal Election Commission on Wednesday, despite his claim that his 2020 presidential campaign was already over. The rapper caused a stir when he announced on the Fourth of July that he would be running for president, and many fans called it a publicity stunt. On Wednesday, West confused onlookers by filing the FEC's first form required for a presidential campaign.

According to a report by TMZ, West filed a form called the "Statement of Organization" or simply Form 1. It names the Kanye 2020 Principal Campaign Committee, with West as its candidate and "BDY" as its party affiliation — "the Birthday Party," according to West. The next step would be to file Form 2, the "Statement of Candidacy." This form requires West's campaign to prove that it has raised or spent more than $5,000 in pursuit of the presidency, officially giving him candidacy status.

So far, West has not handed in Form 2, but fans are confused he even took the first step after announcing that he was dropping out of the race. According to a report by New York Magazine, West told election strategist Steve Kramer that he would not pursue the presidency after learning that he was polling at just 2 percent.

With West's late entry, even that was a surprising accomplishment. The rapper announced his campaign so late in the season that in some states, he had already missed specific deadlines to get on the ballot. West reportedly hired Kramer and other experts to help ensure he could get on the ballot in Florida, South Carolina and other difficult states.

"We had overwhelming support to get him on the ballot," Kramer said. He added that his team was "working over weekend there, formalizing the FEC and other things that they've got to do when you have a lot of corporate lawyers involved."

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

West's publicist declined to answer questions about the presidential campaign, and the rapper himself has not commented publicly about whether his campaign is still on or not. Kramer hinted that he was uncertain as well.

"I'll let you know what I know once I get all our stuff canceled. We had over 180 people out there today," he told the magazine at one point. "I have nothing good or bad to say about Kanye. Everyone has their personal decision about why they make decisions. Running for president has to be one of the hardest things for someone to actually contemplate at that level."