Possible Green Party presidential candidate Cornel West is expected to be a major headache for President Joe Biden in 2024, squashing his chances of securing the Democratic nominee.
According to a recent report by FiveThirtyEight, the third-party candidate could create a “nightmare scenario” for Biden, boosting former President Trump’s chances of winning the election greatly.
The report suggests an independent candidate would pull marginal support away from Biden, subtly shifting the election in Trump’s favor, citing historical trends.
The poll found that in a matchup between Biden and Trump, the Democrat consistently either held a small lead or the two candidates tied. However, when a third-party candidate was an option for voters, Trump gained significant ground.
The report noted that third-party candidates don’t need large magnitudes of support to swing an election.
During an interview with The Post, West claimed Biden committed “crimes against humanity” against black Americans. He accused the 80-year-old president of encouraging mass incarceration among minorities after Biden sponsored a tough-on-crime federal Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act as a senator in 1994.
The bill authorized the hiring of 100,000 new police officers and allocated $9.7 billion for prisons.
“I’ve taught in prison for 41 years. And the level of barbarity in our prisons has something to do with that crime bill that he put forward,” West claimed. “Black folks are low priority [to Biden].”
The Green Party candidate also questioned Biden’s ability to run the country, saying it is “very clear that his cognitive powers are in decline.”
Before switching to the Green Party, West considered a run with the People’s Party. Former Obama campaign spokesman David Axelrod warned West’s run could be the breaking point for Biden, making enough room for Trump to take the crown in 2024.
“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,” Axelrod tweeted earlier this week.