Kanye West filed 1,327 petition signatures with the state on July 27, far more than the 800 required to enter the ballot. The | Evan Agostini / Invision / AP Photo
A Democratic lawyer is challenging Kanye West’s presidential petition signatures, threatening his place as an independent candidate on the New Jersey ballot.
Scott Salmon, who ran for Congress in 2018, said that while West submitted at least 500 more signatures than necessary to get on the ballot, those signatures are “notoriously bad, almost to some extent insulting.” He said that the firms lack the required information and many appear to be written in the same hand.
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The acclaimed artist and billionaire, who cited his residence as Cody, Wyo., Filed 1,327 petition signatures with the state on July 27, far more than the 800 required to enter the ballot. He was one of seven independent or third-party candidates to appear.
West has made a series of political statements that have made it difficult to pin down across a traditional ideological spectrum and have captivated some libertarians, but have voiced concerns among others about his mental health. He acknowledged having bipolar disorder, and after a bizarre demonstration in South Carolina, his wife, Kim Kardashian West, issued a lengthy statement asking for “compassion and empathy.”
Salmon, who said he has just sent a letter to the state Elections Division about the challenge, said he is sympathetic to West’s mental health concerns. “I am not your doctor. I’m not his wife. So I don’t know what his mental state is. I’ve seen the reports. I’m just seeing this based on what the law is in New Jersey, and this doesn’t meet this level, ”he said.
West, a rapper, music producer, and fashion designer who had previously supported President Donald Trump, ran to run for office in several states, but missed the deadline in many others. His requests in Illinois are also being questioned.
It is unclear why the New Jersey Democrats decided to challenge West. The state is widely expected to vote for Joe Biden in November by a wide margin, and independent candidates generally don’t perform well there.
Salmon said West’s petition signatures include dozens of people in a row whose letter looks similar, even small circles around the letter I in their names.
“The odds that 30 people in a row from across the state will have a little circle on the Is is a little hard to believe,” he said.
Salmon’s most prominent client is Representative Tom Malinowski (D-7th Dist.). He said it has nothing to do with defying the West’s request.
