Longshot candidate Cornel West chooses obscure Los Angeles academic for his running mate

Independent presidential candidate Cornel West has selected another academic and activist as his vice presidential running mate.

The longshot candidate announced Wednesday he has picked Melina Abdullah, a Pan-African studies professor at California State University, Los Angeles, during a radio interview on "The Tavis Smiley Show" in L.A.

“She has a record of deep commitment and investment in ensuring that poor and working people are at the center of her vision,” West said about Abdullah, who is also a co-founder of Black Lives Matter Los Angeles. "I wanted to run with someone who would put a smile on the face of Fannie Lou Hamer and Martin Luther King Jr. from the grave. Put a smile on their faces from the grave, and that’s the highest standard ‒ as you know that’s not a typical standard of the garden-variety politician."

West's pick for vice president comes as he's struggling for relevancy in a presidential contest that already features Democratic incumbent Joe Biden, presumptive Republican candidate Donald Trump and fellow independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who announced on March 26 that lawyer and philanthropist Nicole Shanahan would be his running mate.

West's campaign has said he is already on the ballot in four states: Alaska, Oregon, South Carolina and Utah, either independently or affiliated with minor parties, although officials from those states have yet to confirm. West's V.P. choice of Abdullah now allows him to gather signatures to get on the ballot in more states.

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Only 2% of those surveyed in the latest Suffolk University/USA TODAY national poll said they planned to support West.

West is also "unlikely to get on the ballot in all 50 states," but he could emerge as a spoiler candidate if enough progressive voters support him, said David Paleologos, director of Suffolk's Political Research Center who helps oversee the poll. He received about 7% of the Black vote in the poll, which could hurt Biden's chances for reelection, Paleologos said.

"West is not going to be a top choice, but in some states, he is going to matter, because of his ability to win Black voters and this is why Biden is working hard behind the scenes to not only knock off independents like Kennedy Jr. but also West and (third party candidate) Jill Stein," Paleologos said. "There will be no state ballots with just two choices for president." 

Democratic National Committee Spokesman Matt Corridoni had a different take.

"Despite Cornel West announcing a running mate, our view remains the same: only two candidates have a path to 270 electoral votes, President Biden and Donald Trump," Corridoni said in a written statement to USA TODAY. "The stakes are high and we know this is going to be a close election – that’s why a vote for any third party candidate is a vote for Donald Trump."

A longtime progressive activist and scholar, West ignited some concern among Democrats when he first announced his third-party candidacy in July. He initially entered the 2024 race as a Green Party candidate before opting to go without a party affiliation. He is a liberal thought leader and was a key surrogate for Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., during the senator's 2016 and 2020 presidential campaigns.

West’s choice of Abdullah, who is a Muslim, may also appeal to voters who don't like the way the Biden Administration has dealt with the Israel-Hamas war, said Christopher Devine, an associate professor of political science at the University of Dayton in Ohio.

"I do think he might encourage more support from folks who are particularly concerned about the war in Gaza and how she may see this political moment," said Devine, co-author of the book "Do Running Mates Matter? "This move might solidify support with his small group of voters who want to protest the Biden Administration and make a statement." 

Abdullah, 51, who has never run for political office before, said in a statement that she and West's campaign "offers a real vision for the world that stands in opposition to oppressive forces and holds fast to the universal principles of truth, justice, and love."

Abdullah said she and West will work "arm-in-arm with justice-loving people everywhere," as their ticket will now try to get on voter ballots nationwide.

"We reimagine and work to build a world that chooses goodwill over greed, courage over cowardice, and liberation over-exploitation," Abdullah said. "Together, we are igniting a movement to not only dismantle harmful systems, but establish the firm foundations of a just, nurturing, and free world."