Former Trump senior adviser Kellyanne Conway predicted progressive activist Cornel West's 2024 third-party candidacy could determine the outcome of the presidential election. On "America's Newsroom" Tuesday, Conway broke down how a popular left-leaning third-party candidate could split the Democratic Party and pull votes away from President Biden.
PROGRESSIVE ACTIVIST CORNEL WEST ANNOUNCES PRESIDENTIAL RUN UNDER THIRD PARTY
KELLYANNE CONWAY: Even if you don't become president, you as a third-party candidate, spoiler, can decide who is the president. This happened in 1992 when we had Bush 41 as the incumbent and a guy named Bill Clinton, the Arkansas governor, got elected with 43.5% of the vote. Why? Because Ross Perot got 19% of the popular vote, even though he didn't rack up any electoral votes. So I think it's important also, what Amy Walter is pointing out, is that if you play to win, and you're Cornel West, and you are still not satisfied with the trajectory of the Democratic Party being progressive enough for you under a Biden-Harris administration, key word there, then you're going to run to the left of them, number one. Number two, he's going to make a play for people who feel forgotten, who feel abandoned by this Democratic Party, who feel like nobody's listening to them and including them. It's part of how Trump won in 2016, but I think he could do it from the left. … So we do have some precedent there that Cornel West can point to as to what he's doing. But I know him, he's a super smart guy. He's very committed to the principles and policies that he thinks more Americans want to hear.
West threw his hat in the ring for the 2024 presidential race Monday, announcing a third-party bid to stand against both Democrats and the GOP.
While he is a long-shot candidate, the left-wing media personality’s third-lane campaign appears to be a clear knock on President Biden and the Democratic Party.
"In these bleak times, I have decided to run for truth and justice, which takes the form of running for President of the United States as a candidate for the People’s Party," West, 70, announced in a video posted to social media. "The presidency is just one vehicle to pursue the truth and justice I’ve been trying to do all my life."
Fox News' Elizabeth Elkind contributed to this report.
