Republicans are employing liberal third-party contenders as a strategy against Harris.
Third-party candidates usually face an uphill battle in winning U.S. presidential elections, but they can potentially disrupt the chances of multiple contenders. Currently, the Republicans are attempting to leverage this vulnerability.
In the spring, Italo Medelius spearheaded a campaign to have U.S. presidential candidate Cornel West featured on North Carolina's November ballot. Suddenly, he received a call from an individual named Paul, expressing interest in aiding the cause.
This isn't an isolated situation. Across the nation, a clandestine network of GOP officials, lawyers, and associates are attempting to sway the election in favor of former President Trump by endorsing third-party hopefuls. These candidates, like theologian and philosopher West, might draw away liberal voters from the Democratic nominee, Kamala Harris. The funding source for these maneuvers remains unclear, but they could be pivotal in closely contested states where Democrat Joe Biden edged out a slim victory in 2020.
West, with his party Justice for All, which Medelius co-chairs, is cash-strapped and has even publicly welcomed efforts to boost his campaign. In August, West called American politics "highly gangster-like" and simply desired to make the ballot.
Trump's Favorites
Trump has publicly praised West and Jill Stein, the Green Party candidate as his preferred alternatives. He views both as candidates who will only take away votes from the Democratic contender.
Simultaneously, Democrats are investigating strategies to boost Randall Terry, a third-party candidate from the Constitution Party with strong anti-abortion views, who could potentially draw votes away from Trump. However, Republican efforts appear to be more widespread. While Trump has long accused Democrats of rigging elections, his allies in this campaign are actively engaging in a widespread and sometimes misleading campaign to tilt the scales in his favor.
According to Edward B. Foley, a professor specializing in election law at Ohio State University, both major parties' efforts to financially or otherwise support "spoiler" third-party candidates for their own gain are lamentable byproducts of contemporary election laws that tend to favor undesirable choices.
The Rise of "Ghost Candidates"
Actively involved in these endeavors is Paul Hamrick, the individual who reached out to Medelius in North Carolina. He serves as legal counsel for People Over Party, a non-profit organization that has advocated for West's inclusion in the ballot in North Carolina, Arizona, Maine, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. In order to qualify to run for president in a state, a candidate must meet certain, intricate requirements.
In an interview, Hamrick declined to divulge who was collaborating with him and concealed the funding sources. He denies being a Republican, but election records from political data firm L2 reveal that Hamrick has voted in Republican primaries in Alabama in 2002, 2006, and 2010, and since 2015, he has only supported Republican causes or individuals with donations. Additionally, he served as a consultant for Matrix LLC, an Alabama company involved in schemes to run "phantom candidates" against politicians in Florida who had upset top-level officials of the state's largest electric power company.
Hamrick played a significant role in this scheme. A company he founded reportedly compensated a "spoiler candidate" with a $60,000 salary and an $2,300 stipend for housing each month, as per reports from the "Miami Herald" and business records. Hamrick denies that the candidate had any ties to his campaign.
Questionable Activities in Arizona
Now, Hamrick is actively working to get West's name on the ballot in crucial U.S. states. Two weeks ago, he appeared in Arizona after a woman claimed a forged document bearing her name had been submitted to Arizona's Secretary of State, a person who performs duties similar to a country's interior minister and is often responsible for election processes. The document purportedly indicated that she had consented to serve as an elector for West in the Electoral College, a body that makes the ultimate decision on electoral votes from each state. She maintains that this is untrue.
Following the incident, Hamrick claimed he spoke with the woman's husband to address the situation and offered "some details," but he declined to specify exactly what information he provided. Interviews and voicemails suggest that he also tried to persuade a member of the electoral board who originally supported West but later changed their mind. Additionally, a prominent Republican lawyer and a former Republican state representative visited both parties in an attempt to secure West electors. Ultimately, however, West failed to secure a spot on the Arizona ballot.
Medelius, West's party co-chair, cautioned that using third-party candidates as pawns in a "gang war" could have unintended consequences. "If they want to utilize us as foot soldiers," he said, "then I can't do much about it."
Despite Medelius's caution, the trend of leveraging third-party candidates to disrupt the US presidential election of 2024 continues. Trump has publicly endorsed Jill Stein and Cornel West as his preferred alternatives, who could potentially draw away votes from both major party nominees.
