FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Monday, August 12, 2024
Cornel West for President
[email protected]

[Augusta, Maine] – The West/Abdullah presidential campaign has responded to recent challenges to its nomination petition in Maine, emphasizing the state's certification of the petition following a comprehensive and rigorous review by the Maine Board of Elections.

The state of Maine certified Dr. West's petition, confirming 4,978 valid signatures, exceeding the threshold necessary for a non-party candidate. This certification followed a meticulous verification process that included a line-by-line assessment of each signature, ensuring all legal standards were met. "The challenge against our petition is baseless and appears driven by partisan interests aiming to restrict voter choice," said campaign spokesperson Edwin DeJesus. "The Maine Board of Elections' thorough process has already addressed and rectified any discrepancies, validating our signatures well beyond the necessary count."

Allegations of fraudulent tactics and claims of unregistered voters in the petition were also addressed, highlighting the grassroots nature of a campaign fueled by everyday people looking to bring about change in what they see as a broken electoral system. Maine's verification procedures are rigorous, ensuring that all signatures counted are compliant with state laws. Claims that many of the verified signatures were from unregistered voters are unfounded, as each signature's registration status was meticulously checked by state officials.

"This is not just an attack on our campaign but an affront to Maine's democratic processes, which include ranked-choice voting—a system the major parties have continually resisted," added DeJesus. "Ranked-choice voting is favorable in a democracy because it ensures that more voices are represented in the electoral process, allowing voters to rank candidates by preference. This system helps to ensure that the winning candidate has broad support."

The West/Abdullah campaign is focused on issues important to Maine voters, including healthcare, the environment, and the economy. The campaign aims to ensure access to affordable, high-quality healthcare for all Mainers, protect the state’s natural beauty and resources through sustainable policies, and support economic growth by creating good-paying jobs and helping small businesses thrive.

To date, the West/Abdullah campaign has secured ballot access in Wisconsin, Maine, Florida, Mississippi, Nebraska, Pennsylvania, Georgia, Michigan, Colorado, South Carolina, Utah, Oregon, Alaska and Vermont, pending finalization of certification in certain states.

About Dr. Cornel West

Dr. West, affectionately known to many as Brother West, is the Dietrich Bonhoeffer Professor of Philosophy and Christian Practice at Union Theological Seminary.

Dr. West is the former University Professor at Harvard University, Professor Emeritus at Princeton University and the first Black person to receive a Ph.D. In Philosophy from Princeton University. He has written 20 books and he is best known for his classics, Race Matters and Democracy Matters, and for his memoir, Brother West: Living and Loving Out Loud. He will deliver the historic Gifford lectures at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland in Spring 2024.

Dr. West enters the 2024 Presidential contest at a time in which he describes a national crisis of moral bankruptcy and spiritual obscenity driven by a derelict duopoly of both major parties that equally places profits over people and the planet. West asserts that running as an Independent candidate affords him the opportunity and duty to deliver policy prescriptions incorporated by and for the people, instead of political parties beholden to corporations and special interest groups who feel no solidarity with poor and working-class people of all races, gender identities, and age groups.

The Cornel West Campaign to empower poor and working people everywhere stands at a pivotal moment in history, committed to being a true campaign for people around the globe. Our aim is and will always be to unite in solidarity with movements of truth and justice, who seek a choice beyond empire, white supremacy, capitalism, patriarchy, and the confines of the corporate-dominated two-party system.

About Dr. Melina Abdullah

Melina Abdullah is Professor of Pan-African Studies at Cal State LA’s College of Ethnic Studies, Co-Founder of Black Lives Matter - Los Ángeles and Black Lives Matter Grassroots, where she is also Director. She is a leader in the California Faculty Association (the faculty union), both locally and statewide, and mama of three. Dr. Abdullah earned her Ph.D. from University of Southern California in Political Science and her B.A. from Howard University in African American Studies. Abdullah has authored numerous articles and book chapters. Known by the moniker, Doc Melly Mel, she is creator, host, and producer of the radio programs Move the Crowd on KPFK 90.7 FM and This Is Not a Drill! on KBLA Talk 1580, and is a recognized expert on race, gender, class, and social movements. In April 2024, Abdullah was announced as vice-presidential pick for Dr. Cornel West in his run for president of the United States on a platform of “Truth, Justice, and Love.” She is the first Muslim to run for the vice-presidency.

Learn more about Cornel West at CornelWest2024.com. 

Learn more about Dr. West’s Policy Pillars at CornelWest2024.com/Platform.

For more details and press inquiries, please contact [email protected].