Kanye West & the ‘Birthday Party’: A Third Party Phenomenon | Complex World

Kanye West‘s presidential campaign efforts—despite recently being sidelined amid discussions centered on his efforts to overhaul his current situation with regards to who controls his music catalog—remain the topic of numerous headlines during the pandemic era.

Of course, given that West has zero chance of actually winning, concern surrounding his 2020 campaign is focused on any potential his efforts may have in spoiling the overall vote should it come down to a close enough margin in key swing states where his name is on the ballot.

“It’s hard to understand what Kanye West’s goal is,” Barry Burden, a political science professor and the director of the Elections Research Center, explained to host Speedy Morman in the latest episode of Complex World. “He does not seem to be seriously campaigning as a candidate. He’s talked about walking for president rather than running for president. We don’t know what that means. He entered the race very late… There’s really no chance he could be elected president, at this point.”

And while West has spent millions of his own money in signature-gathering efforts, it remains difficult to tell whether this is “a stunt, an experiment, or a serious campaign.” Still, Burden cautioned, West’s potential as a spoiler is still not able to be ruled out.