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What's Kanye West's Political Party?

by Hope Racine

Unless you live under a rock, you've heard the news — Yeezus is running for president. Although we don't know what exactly is Kanye West's political party, we know he'll have some serious backing. West announced his big news Sunday night while accepting the Video Vanguard Award at the 2015 MTV Video Music Awards, stating, "I don't know what I stand to lose after this. It don't matter, though; It's not about me. It's about ideas. New ideas. People with ideas. People who believe in truth." He also said something about fresh juice.

Even though he admittedly was high at the time, West's announcement was earnest and heartfelt — but there's been no follow-up so far. Ye, the people are dying to know. Why are you waiting? What will your platforms be? Who will be your vice president? And what party will you run for?

In keeping with the enigma that is Yeezus, West isn't registered for a specific party and has never officially announced what his political alliance is. He's dropped a few clues throughout his career that make it easy for us to assume he's a Democrat, but I wouldn't be so quick to jump to conclusions. The way I see it, there are only three possible ways for this to go — and knowing West, he won't go with any of them.

1. He'll Run As A Democrat

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It seems likely that if West runs, he'll seek the Democratic nomination, as he has a history of supporting Democratic candidates. Long before he and his wife Kim Kardashian West took a selfie with Hillary Clinton, West donated $1,000 to two of President Obama's super PACs in 2012, according to The Guardian. In 2014, he publicly endorsed all the Democratic candidates running for midterm elections and encouraged voters to do the same.

West's music speaks about social issues such as race, class, and wealth, which would allow the rapper to align himself pretty well with liberal voters. In 2011, he visited an Occupy Wall Street rally and has routinely spoken out against corporations. Who knows — in 2020, West could take up Bernie Sanders' mantle as the anti-corporation candidate. But since West is most likely to align himself with the Democratic Party, that's probably the last thing he'll do.

2. He'll Run As A Republican

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Okay, hear me out. We know that West has beef with some Republican politicians, most notably former President George W. Bush. In 2005, West famous called out Bush during a Hurricane Katrina relief event, claiming that, "George Bush doesn't care about black people." So while it might seem crazy to seek nomination from Bush's party, that might be exactly what he'll do.

Think about it: West could take it upon himself to revolutionize and save an entire political party, bringing them into the golden age of politics and crowning himself as head of the party. It's crazy, it's out there, and it's totally Yeezus. I'm not the only one who thinks so — according to Eugene Craig III, the Republican who founded the Ready For Kanye PAC, West could be a viable Republican candidate. "I don't think there's a better way to reach out to young minority voters than to bring Kanye West into the fold of the Republican party,” Craig told The Guardian.

3. He'll Start His Own Party

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Why should West waste his time trying to assimilate into a party when he could just make his own? I won't even try to speculate what name he would create, because I'm positive that nothing I come up with would come close to rivaling West's inevitable creation. By establishing his own party, West could make sure that he focuses on the issues he finds most important, like elevating musicians, dismantling award shows, and making leather sweatpants stylish.

I think this would be the right bet for West. He's at his absolute best when he's allowed to think outside the box and do his own thing, so why should his presidential run be any different? And this way he won't have any national committees to answer to either — which probably wouldn't work out very well.

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Whether Yeezy will follow through with a 2020 run is completely up in the air. If I heard last year that West was planning a campaign, I would have laughed and told you there's no way a celebrity with a penchant for Twitter rants and an unabashed love of self would ever have a shot at the highest office in the land. But this 2016 race has taught me a lot — so let's not count Yeezus out.