Kanye West’s Presidential Campaign Just Suffered Huge Setback

Kanye West’s presidential campaign missed another important deadline on Thursday, which either means his campaign has failed to raise over $100,000 or his team just did not file the paperwork in time. West is required to file a financial report to the Federal Election Committee if he raises or spends $100,000 on his campaign, just like any candidate. The filing deadline was Thursday, Aug. 20, but an FEC official confirmed with TMZ they did not receive any documentation from the campaign.

West has only had one major campaign rally, his controversial appearance in South Carolina in July. However, he did hire the third-party group Let Voters Decide to help him get on the ballot. He also hired political advisers last month. He reportedly spent about $30,000 in his effort to get on the ballot in his home state of Illinois, but this did not help. Earlier this month, an Illinois election board ruled over 1,900 signatures on his nomination papers as invalid. On Friday, the Illinois Board of Elections ruled that West will not appear on the ballot, reports Politico.

West’s representatives did not comment on the FEC issue. It is the latest in a series of blows to the campaign this week. In addition to missing the cut in Illinois, West will not make the ballot in West Virginia, reports The Associated Press. West needed 7,144 signatures from registered West Virginia voters. He submitted 15000, but only 13,865 were eligible and just 6,383 were signatures from West Virginia voters, Secretary of State spokesperson Mike Queen.

The rapper also missed the cut in Wisconsin after officials there ruled he turned in his nomination documents seconds after the deadline. West’s operation gathered 2,422 signatures, which was enough to get on the ballot. However, the election commission staffers said the signatures were received one minute after the deadline. The Election Commission, which includes three Democrats and three Republicans, voted 5-1 that West was ineligible, reports Fox News. West has only qualified to appear on the ballot in Arkansas, Colorado, Oklahoma, Utah, and Vermont.

West is running as a member of the Birthday Party and launched his campaign on July 4. Republican operatives have reportedly been involved in the efforts to get him on the ballot. West also appeared to confirm to Forbes that his campaign is meant to be a spoiler for former Vice President Joe Biden, the Democratic nominee facing off against President Donald Trump in November.