A former child actor, a concert pianist, a boss of coal mines who spent time in prison, a rap singer… The 2020 vintage of candidates for the White House is eclectic. We only hear about Joe Biden and Donald Trump for the election on Tuesday, November 3, but there is, like every four years, a crowd of more or less eccentric aspirants. A total of 1,225 have registered with the Federal Election Commission. Nine of them qualified to have their names on the ballot in at least five states.
They don’t stand a chance: the last independent President of the United States dates back to 1848. That does not mean that they have no impact. If they do come forward, it is generally to promote a theme that is close to their hearts, in the hope that the major parties will take it up for themselves. But the main effect of their candidacy is the loss of votes. In 1992, Ross Perot, an independent candidate, won 19% of the vote, which cost George HW Bush his re-election against Bill Clinton. In 2000, George W. Bush defeated Al Gore by 537 votes in Florida, where environmental candidate Ralph Nader received more than 97,000 ballots. In 2016, over 7.6 million voters voted for a candidate other than Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton, arguably because both were unpopular.
Jorgensen, the candidate who wants to make the United States “a giant Switzerland”
This year, the independents have struggled to be heard and to raise funds, because the election became a referendum on Trump. Many of them do not appear on the ballots in enough states to stand a chance of winning the 270 votes needed by the Electoral College to win the presidency. This also favors Joe Biden, since voters inclined to vote independent are generally more to the left.
Among the best-known is Jo Jorgensen, 63, of the Libertarian Party. A psychology professor at Clemson University, she pleads for limiting the role of the state, lowering taxes, bringing American troops home and turning the United States into “a giant Switzerland”, armed, but neutral. Howie Hawkins, 67, the representative of the Greens, wants to nationalize the banks and big industries, establish a minimum wage of 20 dollars an hour, slash military budgets by three quarters and use this money for a “Green New Deal”, an ecological revolution.
And then there’s Kanye West. The rapper announced at the beginning of July his candidacy for the presidential election under the banner of the Birthday Party, because, “when we win, it’s going to be everyone’s birthday.” Its program defends themes dear to conservatives, such as restoring prayer in schools, defending religious freedom and family values. But he is also for a reform of the police, measures for the environment and the development of renewable energies, positions more to the left.
Why is Kanye West showing up?
The 43-year-old singer, who has never voted, has hardly campaigned. In an interview, he said that Planned Parenthood had been installed in major cities by white supremacists and that, once elected, he envisioned an organizational model based on Wakanda, the film’s secret country. Black Panther. Which raised many questions about his mental health. Why is Kanye West showing up? Is it to advertise? Or to prevent Joe Biden from filling up on black voices? Kim Kardashian’s husband was close to Donald Trump and several sturdy Trumpists are involved in his campaign. For lack of having taken the steps in time to appear on the ballot, or else because of accusations of false signatures, his name was written on the ballot paper of only a dozen States, which left him no chance.
Don Blankenship is almost as famous, but for less glorious reasons. The former CEO of Massey Energy, a coal producer, spent a year in jail for violating safety regulations that led to a mine explosion that killed 29 people in 2010. Dubbed by some “the most hated man in West Virginia ”, he supports very Trumpist positions: he defends the coal industry, the end of abortion, the construction of the border wall, the deregulation of the environment…
Brock Pierce, le Disney boy
Brock Pierce is a former child actor who starred in Mighty Ducks, the Disney hockey movies. He converted to tech and became a cryptocurrency billionaire. At 39, he campaigns for French-style social security, the legalization of marijuana, the elimination of carbon dioxide emissions in 20 years.
Behind these headliners, the majority of the candidates are unknown. Jade Simmons, former beauty queen and professional pianist, offers a program called “Operation Restoration” which uses Christian principles to fight inequalities. Mark Charles, a Navajo Indian, campaigns for a more inclusive nation that respects the rights of Native Americans, but also those of women and blacks excluded from the American Constitution. A great program!
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