Renowned civil rights activist, scholar, and former Harvard professor, Dr. Cornel West, recently announced his intention to run for president in 2024. His bid for the White House is a beacon of hope for millennials and progressives eager for real change. Adding an intriguing twist to this campaign narrative, Jill Stein, former Green Party presidential candidate, has jumped on board to lend her support to West’s mission, according to CNN.
In a bold move earlier this month, West initiated his presidential campaign under the banner of the People’s Party. However, citing concerns about ballot access and limited campaign infrastructure, he soon distanced himself from the People’s Party and sought the nomination from the Green Party instead. Emphasizing the bigger picture, West said, “Any candidacy to run the empire, to dismantle the empire, has to be part of a movement.”
News of Stein’s support for West may rankle some Democrats who claim her 2016 Green Party candidacy took votes away from the Democratic nominee, Hillary Clinton. Stein has consistently dismissed this assertion. Critics point out that in swing states like Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania, Stein’s vote total surpassed Donald Trump’s victory margins. Yet, it remains speculative whether Stein’s voters would have backed Clinton if Stein hadn’t been on the ballot.
Undeterred by such conjecture, Stein is currently acting as a transition coordinator for West’s campaign. “I’m helping his campaign move from its previous People’s Party context into the Green Party and developing his team and the infrastructure that he needs to run a full-powered, people-powered campaign,” she explained.
Stein added, “It was really, I think, clear to everyone that Cornel needed to be in a campaign infrastructure that could make this campaign as big as the American people need it to be.” The transition is nearly complete, and the team is gearing up for the colossal task of building a grassroots movement that could potentially transform the political landscape in 2024. For millennials yearning for significant political change, this could be the people-powered revolution they’ve been waiting for.
