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Is Kanye West Trump's 'puppet'? Alarmed Internet believes rapper is trying to swing Black votes away from Biden

A few Republicans with ties to current President Donald Trump are helping West get his name on election ballots in states from Vermont and Arkansas to Wisconsin

After his infamous meltdown on social media, rapper Kanye West is back to business. Just when people thought he isn’t serious about running for President, a CNN report claims that some Republican workers, a few with ties to current President Donald Trump, are helping West get his name on election ballots in states ranging from Vermont and Arkansas to Wisconsin.

This strategy is seen, by some, as an attempt to tap voters away from probable Democratic Presidential nominee Joe Biden. Until August 4, the Rapper focused on getting his name in ballots in states that are dominated by either Republicans or Democrats in the upcoming November elections. However, his expected addition to the ballot in Wisconsin, according to the CNN report,  means the rapper will likely be a choice for voters in a battleground state that is key to both Trump and Biden's path to winning in November.

According to the report, Trump said on August 5, "I like Kanye very much. I have nothing to do with him being on the ballot. I'm not involved." However, Democrats in Wisconsin and beyond have claimed, according to the report, that it was an attempt to swing young Black voters who might not be excited about the Biden campaign. Any drop in turnout for Biden among young Black voters, a group the Trump campaign has tried to target against the former Vice President, could have a consequence in the outcome in states with traditionally narrow margins like Wisconsin.

The report quotes Rep David Bowen, a Democrat who represents Milwaukee, "Thankfully the Trump team is showing their cards that the real force driving Kanye West to run is not people but Trump. This is clearly a targeted effort by Republican operatives to cause confusion and problems for typically Democratic voters on Election Day." He added, "It's sad to see a popular music artiste like Kanye be used as a pawn to trick his own people and fans to vote for a fake campaign."

We had earlier reported that petitioning company Let The Voters Decided, headed by Mark Jacoby, has been assisting the rapper to secure signatures to run in at least three states: Ohio, West Virginia and Arkansas. West’s nominating petitions were dropped off with state regulators in Madison by Lane Ruhland, a top Republican lawyer, before the August 4 deadline. Ruhland, former general counsel for the state GOP, was captured on camera dropping off the papers but did not offer any comments. Former executive director of the American Conservative Union, Gregg Keller, has also been listed as a contact for West's campaign in Arkansas and so is Chuck Wilton from Vermont.

Soon, social media was abuzz over the matter. A user shared, "The fact that GOP MAGA operatives are working to get Kanye West on the Presidential ballot in November in some states should tell you the story right there, a plot to strip as many votes as they can away from Joe Biden in a last-ditch effort. Never had any doubt."

Another said, "It appears that Kanye West is registering in states for the sole purpose of taking votes away from Biden, essentially helping Trump. In fact, some Republican operatives have been seen doing the groundwork to get him registered in various states."

Lisa Savage, who is running for US Senate in Maine, offered a solution to the probable "split voting". She said, "To all the people worrying about how Kanye West being on the ballot could split the vote: pass #RankedChoiceVoting in your state, and you won't have to worry about "vote-splitting" or "spoilers" anymore. We did it in Maine and it works. We can fix this broken voting system."

Another said, "Any modicum of respect I had for Kanye is gone. He is a puppet of the worst kind. I think voters and especially the POC he was supposed to attract see that too."

 Another user said, "The tragic irony is that he's so racist he believes that black people are uniformly racist enough to vote for Kanye West just because of the color of his skin. He's basically meta-racist."

Another user had a word of advice for the Democrats: "Okay, here's what Democrats need to do: 1. Ignore Kanye West at all cost. 2. Vote like your life depends on it because it does! RBG!!!"

Another added: "Apparently no conflict of interest for GOP lawyer for Trump campaign to be working for Kanye West campaign. Indeed, getting Kanye West on ballot is part of the Trump campaign strategy."