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
ASSOCIATED PRESS
HARRISBURG, Pa. — 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.
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