Cornel West Can’t Be on Pennsylvania’s Presidential Ballot, Court Decides

Progressive activist Cornel West speaks at a demonstration in Union Park outside the Democratic National Convention Wednesday, Aug. 21, 2024, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

By MARC LEVY

4:49 PM EDT, August 23, 2024

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Independent presidential candidate Cornel West lost a legal challenge Friday in his bid to get on the ballot in the battleground state of Pennsylvania.

Commonwealth Court Judge Renee Cohn Jubelirer, in a 15-page opinion, sided with the Secretary of State’s office under Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro in rejecting West’s candidacy paperwork.

The Secretary of State’s office said West’s campaign lacked the required affidavits for 14 of West’s 19 presidential electors.

Jubelirer, a Republican, agreed with the Secretary of State’s office that minor-party presidential electors are to be considered candidates for office who must file affidavits, even if major-party presidential electors are not.

The court case is among a raft of partisan legal maneuvering around third-party candidates, as backers of Republican nominee Donald Trump and Democratic nominee Kamala Harris aim to derail third-party candidates who might siphon away support — or to help others who might hurt their opponent.

The Nov. 5 election is expected to be close in Pennsylvania, whose 19 electoral votes are tied with Illinois for fifth-most, and arguably are the most awarded by any battleground state.

West’s lawyer — who has longstanding ties to Republican candidates and causes — did not immediately say whether he would appeal to the state Supreme Court.

Also Friday, independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. told the court in a filing that he will withdraw from Pennsylvania’s ballot. In a speech in Phoenix, Kennedy said he is suspending his presidential bid, backing Trump and planning to remain on ballots in states where he is unlikely to sway the outcome.

The Green Party’s Jill Stein and the Libertarian Party’s Chase Oliver submitted petitions to get on Pennsylvania’s presidential ballot without being challenged, while the Party for Socialism and Liberation has said it will appeal a judge’s decision to order its presidential candidate, Claudia De la Cruz, off Pennsylvania’s ballot.