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Kanye West won't be on South Carolina ballot after holding rally there
Kanye West falls at the first hurdle after wild campaign rally in South Carolina by not even applying to be on state’s presidential ballot
- Kanye West missed the deadline to appear on the presidential ballot in South Carolina in November by failing to turn in an application on time
- West had to turn in a petition form with 10,000 signatures by noon on Monday to show up on the ballot
- ‘There are no exceptions to the deadlines,’ a spokesman for the South Carolina Board of Elections said after it was already extended five days for coronavirus
- The spokesman added that ‘the state election commission did not receive a petition from Kanye West’
- The 43-year-old rapper held his first campaign rally in South Carolina on Sunday
- The rambling and chaotic remarks included a revelation that West wanted wife Kim Kardashian West to abort their first child before he got a ‘message from God’
- North is now 7-years-old and the couple shares four children together
- Sources close to the family claim the Kardashians are ‘shocked beyond words’ and feel West was having a bipolar episode during the event
Kanye West has missed the deadline to officially run for president in South Carolina in November – and never even applied to make the ballot in the state where he held his first campaign rally.
‘The petition deadline has passed for the 2020 general election and the state election commission did not receive a petition from Kanye West,’ Chris Whitmire, a spokesman for the South Carolina Board of Elections, told reporter Ben Jacobs.
‘There are no exceptions to the deadline,’ Whitmire asserted.
The comments come after West held a rally in North Charleston, South Carolina on Sunday, just two weeks after announcing his intentions to run for president.
West spent the required fee to make the ballot in Oklahoma last week and filled out the proper Federal Election Commission paperwork to officially make a run for the White House in November.
According to the forms, West is running as an independent for BDY, which he says stands for the Birthday Party because ‘when we win, it’s everybody’s birthday.’
The rapper, however, won’t even be able to run for president in the state where he held his first whirlwind rally after failing to fill out a petition application before the deadline on Monday.
The deadline was extended by five days due to potential obstacles and restrictions due to the coronavirus pandemic.
‘To be nominated by petition, a candidate must file a nominating petition containing the valid signatures of at least 5% of the active, registered voters in the geographical area the office represents,’ according to the South Carolina Election Commission website.
Kanye West missed the deadline to make the presidential ballot in South Carolina in November after holding the first rally of his campaign in the state Sunday
The candidate needed to fill out and turn in a petition with 10,000 names and signatures by Monday July 20, but he never applied to be able to run for president in the state
Chris Whitmire (pictured), a spokesman for the South Carolina Board of Elections, said ‘there are no exceptions to the deadlines.’ He added: ‘The state election commission did not receive a petition from Kanye West’
West also will not make that ballot in at least six other states – as their deadlines have passed – and he could miss out on a handful more as other deadlines approach this month.
Sources told TMZ that the Kardashians were ‘shocked beyond words’ after West, 43, revealed at North Charletson’s Exquis Center that he and his wife Kim Kardashian West, 39, considered having an abortion when she was pregnant with their first child North West.
The billionaire rap artist made the comments during a rambling and chaotic speech at his first presidential rally where he revealed he only backed off the idea of aborting their daughter after he got a ‘message from God.’
North is now seven-years-old.
Kim’s family feel that West is in ‘desperate need of professional help,’ claiming the rally was a bipolar episode, according to sources close to the family.
Family and friends close to Kanye have also been left upset because they feel the music artist is becoming a ‘distraction to what is a very important election’.
During his rally speech on Sunday, the rapper appeared to acknowledge that his comments would be met with a negative reaction by his family. He explained that if his wife were to divorce him after making the comments, he would still be thankful that she had North.
‘Even if my wife were to divorce me after this speech, she brought North into this world, when I did not want to,’ he said.
Those close to the rapper say they are also concerned that he is ‘tanking some of his business’ with his recent speeches and could ignite boycotts.
Kanye has been open about his struggle with bipolar disorder and, in 2016, he spent time in hospital after a ‘psychiatric emergency’ that forced him to cancel 21 concert dates.
Kim has previously defended her husband’s rants and said in a 2018 tweet that he was a ‘free-thinker’ and entitled to his own opinion. She also appeared to endorse her husband’s presidential bid when he first announced it two weeks ago by retweeting his message with an emoji of a US flag.
DailyMail.com has contacted Kim’s agent about his latest comments.
During his rally speech, Kanye, who was dressed in a bullet-proof vest with 2020 shaved into his hair, shared that in 2013 Kim ‘had the pills in her hand’ to have an abortion before he was inspired by God to have the child.
West revealed at his first campaign rally at North Charleston’s Exquis Event Center in South Carolina that he and his wife Kim Kardashian West had considered aborting their first daughter North, who is now 7
Kanye West pictured with wife Kim Kardashian and their children North, Saint, Chicago, and Psalm, in a photo posted on Father’s Day on June 21, 2020
KANYE’S CHAOTIC RALLY SPEECH
On how he nearly aborted his daughter:
‘My girlfriend called me screaming, crying. I’m a rapper. And she said I’m pregnant. She was crying.
‘My (laptop) screen went black and white. And God said, if you f*** with my vision I f*** with yours. And I called my girlfriend and said we’re going to have this child.
‘We talked about her not having this child. She had the pills in her hand! I almost killed my daughter!
‘Even if my wife were to divorce me after this speech, she brought North into this world, when I did not want to.’
How he was nearly aborted by his parents:
‘My dad wanted to abort me. My mom saved my life. There would’ve been no Kanye West because my dad was too busy.’
Denouncing abortion:
‘Abortion should be legal but the option of maximum increase should be available.
‘Everybody who has a baby gets a million dollars or something.
‘No more Plan B – Plan A.
‘It takes a village to raise a child. No matter how much money you have. Society is set up for single women to not have a village.’
Claims Harriet Tubman didn’t free slaves:
‘Harriet Tubman never actually freed the slaves, she just had the slaves go work for other white people.’
Gun ownership:
‘When other countries come in, and you have no weapons, what do you think will happen?’
‘You’re enslaved. Guns don’t kill people; people kill people.’
Racism:
He said he wanted to be on the board of both Adidas and Gap – for whom he designs clothes. He said black culture was exploited by white-owned companies all too often.
‘I am sick of this black iconography being used by white corporations, for us to look up to and say this is us.’
Other key quotes from his speech:
‘I don’t give a f*** if I win the presidency or not.
‘There are homeless people in front of the Gucci store. I care about these things. And I am in service of God.’
‘Politics, America, Trump, Biden, nor Kanye West can free us. ‘The only thing that can free us is obeying the rules that were given to us as a promised land.’
‘My girlfriend called me screaming, crying. I’m a rapper. And she said I’m pregnant. She was crying,’ he said.
Kanye said he was weighing up what to do, when he received what he interpreted as a sign from God while he was working on his laptop in Paris.
‘My screen went black and white. And God said, if you f*** with my vision I f*** with yours,’ he yelled. ‘And I called my girlfriend and said we’re going to have this child.
‘Even if my wife were to divorce me after this speech, she brought North into this world, when I did not want to.’
The rapper went on to break down in tears as he shouted: ‘She had the pills in her hand! I almost killed my daughter!’
Kanye also revealed that his father wanted to abort him but his mother Donda ‘saved his life’.
‘My mom saved my life. My dad wanted to abort me. My mom saved my life. There would have been no Kanye West because my dad was too busy,’ he said.
Kanye spent much of the rally discussing abortion, and announced that he wanted women to be given money by the government for bearing children, to discourage abortion.
‘Abortion should be legal but the option of maximum increase should be available,’ he said.
‘Everybody who has a baby gets a million dollars or something.
‘No more Plan B – Plan A.’
The Bound 2 singer went explain that he wanted all mothers to be free from the worries of child care before pointing out that Steve Jobs was adopted.
‘Steve Jobs was adopted,’ he said. ‘It takes a village to raise a child. No matter how much money you have. Society is set up for single women to not have a village.
‘So I moved to a small town, in Cody, Wyoming.’
The rapper’s wife Kim gave birth to the couple’s first child together, North, on June 15, 2013.
She also shares sons Saint, 4, Psalm, 1, and two-year-old daughter Chicago with the musician, who she married in 2014.
West’s speech, clips of which went viral on social media, has provoked confusion, anger and concern for the musician’s mental health.
West has often sparked speculation that he has presidential aspirations.
In December 2016, a month after Donald Trump won the election, West threw his support behind the president and said he would not pursue his White House ambitions until 2024 – after the then-president-elect served out two terms.
Lately, the artist has become disenfranchised by the president.
On Independence Day, West announced his unlikely bid for president this year, tweeting: ‘We must now realize the promise of America by trusting God, unifying our vision and building our future.’
‘I am running for president of the United States! #2020VISION,’ he posted on July 4.
West has said that his wife along with billionaire and founder of Tesla Elon Musk were his advisors at the moment.
He has also suggested that the CEO of SpaceX could be ‘the head of our space program.’
Earlier this month, West filled out FEC Form 1: Statement of Organization, that shared the information about his campaign, and Form 2: Statement of Candidacy, which triggers candidacy status.
The second, and more important form, also proves that the applicant has raised or spent $5,000 in campaign activity.
In his Twitter announcement, West revealed little of his plans, but later spoke about his platform in an interview with Forbes.
He told the outlet that he believed he could use coronavirus as a reason for being placed on the ballot.
The couple welcomed North on June 15, 2013, they are also parents to Saint, four, Chicago, two, and Psalm, 14 months (pictured together recently)
The rapper, donning a bullet proof vest and ‘2020’ shaved into the side of his head, discussed abortion at the rally and claimed that his father wanted to abort him
Attendees at the rally wore face masks, but removed them to go on stage and question West
Following Kanye’s rally speech on Sunday, Real Housewives of Potomac star Candiace Dillard blasted the Kardashians and claimed they did not care for the rapper’s well being.
Following Kanye’s rally speech, Real Housewives of Potomac star Candiace Dillard blasted the Kardashians and claimed they did not care for the rapper’s wellbeing
In an Instagram post Dillard said: ‘If my husband was out in the public eye having a manic episode because that is what this is. Having a mental breakdowns because that is what is happening and making a complete mockery of our political system, I would be gearing up to enter him into a conservatorship.
‘Kanye West needs to be committed temporarily. He is not well and that fact that his family the people that he leans on and depends on to take care of him are allowing him to be out in the world, allowing him to make a compete a** of himself. He is making a complete fool of himself.’
She added: ‘Where are you? Where is anyone in that family? Because at the point where he is breaking down crying, screaming like a child at a campaign rally. If I’m your wife I’m going to get you and we’re going to get you some help.
‘You are not here for him. This man is crying out and you are not here for him. I’m done with all of them.’
The frustrated reality star later urged viewers to not let the rapper’s display deter them from voting for ‘viable candidates’ in the election.
‘Please don’t allow this to deter you from voting for viable candidates who actually have the experience and the marbles and the mental stability to be able to do the job that needs to be done to get out country back to a place that makes sense,’ Dillard said.
Kanye shocked the crowd and drew condemnation during his speech when he claimed that anti-slavery activist Harriet Tubman did not free slaves but ‘just had the slaves go work for other white people’.
‘Harriet Tubman never actually freed the slaves, she just had the slaves go work for other white people,’ he said.
One person was heard saying: ‘Yo, we’re leaving right now,’ while another crowd member groaned: ‘Come on, man.’
Tubman is one of the most respected figures of 19th century America.
Kanye shocked the crowd and drew condemnation when he claimed that anti-slavery activist Harriet Tubman did not free slaves but ‘just had the slaves go work for other white people’
An African American who escaped slavery, she helped enslaved Black men and women travel north to freedom and fought for the Union during the Civil War. She later became a supporter of women’s suffrage.
He was immediately slammed by rapper Trey Songz following the controversial Tubman comments, saying that West and his bid for the presidency was getting ‘in the way of progress.’
‘They been sayin man Trey need to call these n****s before he just put em online blastin,’ Trey said in an Instagram post.
‘Ye you in the way of progress foreal, how you turn this goofy from who you were? I’m so confused, whoever got his number need to call him,’ he concluded.
In remarks that lasted just over an hour, he denounced abortion, swore, called on random members to speak and sometimes seemed to be putting forward policy proposals on the fly.
His rambling monologue also touched on topics from abortion and religion to international trade and licensing deals.
‘I don’t give a f*** if I win the presidency or not,’ he declared.
‘There are homeless people in front of the Gucci store. I care about these things. And I am in service of God.’
‘Politics, America, Trump, Biden, nor Kanye West can free us,’ he told the crowd.
‘The only thing that can free us is obeying the rules that were given to us as a promised land.’
He also said he wished to meet with George Soros to discuss building houses, and with Mark Zuckerberg to talk about improving internet connectivity in Africa.
At times, West demanded ‘absolute silence and absolute order’ – and even asked audience members to point out anyone they heard talking – scolded the crowd for clapping at one point, and had another audience member ejected for an unclear reason.
West needed to collect 10,000 signatures by noon on Monday to appear on the South Carolina ballot, according to state law. The entertainer tweeted out a list of locations around the Charleston area where petitions could be signed
Last week West posted a video of himself registering to vote in Wyoming. He has left voters confused over whether his campaign is genuine or a publicity stunt to help sell albums or merchandise
He got into a heated exchange with a young woman named Georgia who he invited onto the stage to speak – although her comments were mostly inaudible.
He said that he was concerned about gun violence, but supported gun ownership.
‘When other countries come in, and you have no weapons, what do you think will happen?’ he asked. ‘You’re enslaved. Guns don’t kill people; people kill people.’
West also discussed racism in the United States, proclaiming that he wanted to be on the board of both Adidas and Gap – for whom he designs clothes.
He referenced his own wealth several times, noting, to laughter: ‘As I said to a fellow billionaire…’, and then trailing off.
West said that, all too often, black culture was exploited by white-owned companies.
‘I am sick of this black iconography being used by white corporations, for us to look up to and say this is us,’ he said.
Kanye’s unlikely campaign for the White House: Rally event does little to clarify if West is actually trying to win the election
The event, which was livestreamed on YouTube and carried on local television stations, did little to clarify whether West is genuinely attempting to win the presidency.
He has offered virtually no details about his campaign, but the star – who famously wore a ‘Make America Great Again’ cap to a 2018 Oval Office meeting with Trump – said he no longer supports the president.
Kanye has left voters confused over whether his campaign is genuine or a publicity stunt to help sell albums or merchandise.
He has reportedly asked Jay-Z if he would be his running mate in the election.
‘I reached out to Jay to possibly be my vice president, my running mate,’ Kanye said during an interview with local South Carolina blogger Kris Kaylin.
‘We have Michelle Tidball, who is a Christian pastor out of Wyoming, who is my running mate. But she would be open to taking another position if we found another running mate.’
West missed the deadline to qualify for the ballot in several states, and it was unclear if he was willing or able to collect enough signatures required to qualify in others.
Last week, he qualified to appear on Oklahoma’s presidential ballot, the first state where he met the requirements before the filing deadline. He was able to get on the ballot in that state by paying a $35,000 fee before the cut-off deadline in lieu of getting petition signatures.
West revealed on Independence Day that he was running for president
Wife Kim Kardashian had little to say immediately after the announcement on July 4, but showed her support by tweeting an American Flag emoji in response
Billionaire Elon Musk said West has his ‘full support’ when the rapper announced his run
West needed to collect 10,000 signatures by noon on Monday to appear on the South Carolina ballot, according to state law.
The entertainer tweeted out a list of locations around the Charleston area where petitions could be signed.
The deadlines to register as a write-in candidate have passed in several states, but many extend into August and September, leaving a small chance that West could muster enough petition signatures to get him on the ballots in those states.
Several thousands of signatures are required for a write-in candidate in most states.
West has previously publicly supported Trump, wearing MAGA hats and even going to the White House to meet with him, despite admitting that he’s never voted in a presidential election in his life.
West told Forbes that he has since lost confidence in Trump and that ‘it looks like one big mess to me.’
The rapper, pictured in the Oval Office, had previously voiced his support for Trump but pulled it back as he announced his intentions to run, saying he lost confidence in the president
West-Tidball 2020! In an interview with Forbes about his presidential run, Kanye West named Michelle Tidball (pictired right) as his running mate ahead of the 2020 election
He named Michelle Tidball, 57, as his running mate ahead of the 2020 election.
Tidball hails from Cody, Wyoming – the same town where West owns a $14 million ranch – but she has scrubbed clean her web presence in recent days.
While there is no official deadline to enter the US presidential race, candidates must meet certain filing requirements under Ballot Access Laws that vary by state.
The deadline to add independent candidates to the ballot had not yet passed in many states, including California, when West announced but were fast approaching.
He had already missed deadlines to add his name to the presidential ballot in six states by July 4.
Of the 538 Electoral College votes total, West has already missed out on 102 of those votes if he were to successfully make his way onto the ballot in other states – as the registration date has passed for North Carolina, Texas, New York, Maine, New Mexico and Indiana.
Colorado, Florida, Michigan, Missouri, Oklahoma, South Carolina and West Virginia all have July deadlines also.
He could, however, have run in these states as a write-in candidate. Although, rules for this type of candidacy vary from state to state and in many states do not count or are tallied as part of the ‘other’ category.
The late registration – also the name of West’s 2005 album – would prevent him from standing any real chance against Trump and presumed Democratic candidate Biden.
West’s announcement was met with with mixed reactions of skepticism and excitement, as online bookmakers cut his odds of winning the election from 500/1 to 50/1.
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