Kanye West Concedes Defeat After Receiving 60,000 Votes in Controversial Presidential Campaign

Following a controversial and disorganized campaign for president, rapper and designer Kanye West has conceded defeat.

According to national election results tabulated by the Associated Press, West received roughly 60,000 votes across a dozen states, making his ultimate impact on the race exceedingly small.

The results were unsurprising considering West's late entry into the race and the haphazard campaign that followed.

As results began rolling in, and it became clear that West would receive very few votes, he went on Twitter once again, alluding to a potential 2024 campaign.

He first announced his candidacy on the Fourth of July via Twitter, and later said he would run an independent campaign under the so-called "Birthday Party" banner.

Just two weeks later, he held a much-reported-on campaign event during which he delivered an hour-long, rambling speech about abortion, race, his own children, and the presidency.

"I don't give a f— if I win the presidency or not… I am in service to God," West said during his speech about his bid. "God has a plan for us and his people to be finally free. Trump, Biden, or Kanye West cannot free us."

Despite the controversy that surrounded the event, West forged ahead with his campaign, which ran on a slogan of "YES!," and featured Michelle Tidball, a self-described "biblical life coach," as his running mate.

West's admittedly vague platform — which promised to restore prayer in schools and "reduce household debt" — appeared on his campaign website alongside Kanye-branded merchandise, including $160 hoodies and $60 baseball hats.

But the actual policy side of his campaign seemed to lack specifics.

In a July interview with Forbes, West brushed over the social and political issues facing the nation, suggesting he wanted to bring more "fun" back to the White House.

"When I'm president, let's also have some fun," West said. "Let’s get past all the racism conversation, let's empower people with 40 acres and a mule, let's give some land, that's the plan.”

West's ties to Republicans, including his support for President Donald Trump, plagued his campaign from the start.

In August, reports surfaced that West's campaign was being aided by Republican operatives in a thinly veiled attempt to help Trump  against former Vice President Joe Biden.

That same month, The New York Times reported that West had "met privately" with Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, though the rapper denied it had anything to do with his campaign.

Even with the reported assistance of Republicans, West's campaign missed deadlines to qualify in many states and failed to collect enough valid signatures to qualify in others.

In the end, West's name appeared on ballots in just a dozen states, including Colorado and Minnesota.

In California, he appeared on the ballot as a potential vice president alongside American Independent Party presidential candidate Rocky De La Fuente.

According to the AP, West received and 0.3 percent of the total vote in Tennessee, with 10,216 votes. He achieved roughly 0.4 percent of the vote in Idaho, Utah, and Oklahoma, but failed to get a larger percentage in any other states.

On Election Day, West, who lives in Wyoming, tweeted that he was preparing to vote for the first time in his life, for himself.

He later shared a photo of what appeared to be his own Wyoming ballot. While he was not officially listed as a candidate on the ballot, he had written in his own name.

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