Become a Vote Mobilizer
Vote Mobilizers are our election program leaders who will drive voter contact efforts in their area and across the country!
Join NowCornel West Using Republican Voter Suppression Lawyers in NC Ballot Challenge
Once Again West Is Relying on GOP Help for His Spoiler Campaign
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today MoveOn Political Action is calling attention to Cornel West for, once again, relying on Republican help for his spoiler presidential campaign—this time, using Republican Party lawyers, who have a history of defending voter suppression, to try to sue his way onto the ballot in North Carolina.
As reported by The News & Observer:
The lawyer bringing the suit, Phillip Strach, frequently represents Republican legislative leaders in court and has recently defended them in gerrymandering lawsuits and challenges to stricter election laws. His law firm, Nelson Mullins Riley and Scarborough, has been paid tens of thousands of dollars for legal services by the Republican National Committee, North Carolina Republican Party and National Republican Congressional Committee in the last several years.
West was found to have been “misleading” voters who signed Justice For All Party petitions, and to have violated a state law that requires newly formed political parties to tell signers what the general purpose and intent of their party is. NBC News previously reported that West’s Justice For All Party was relying on a Republican political consulting firm to get on the ballot.
West’s petitions were subsequently rejected for certification by the North Carolina Board of Elections, which cited investigations of fraud.
“There’s only one reason why Republicans continue to fuel Cornel West’s campaign: to take away votes from Vice President Harris and elect Trump to enforce their Project 2025 MAGA takeover. This isn’t the first time West has allied with Republicans to deceive the electorate, and by doing so, West is continuing to sully his reputation as a progressive leader,” said MoveOn Chief Communications Officer Joel Payne. “The time has come for Cornel West to bow out of this race for the sake of our democracy.”
ADDITIONAL BACKGROUND:
- North Carolina is not the only state where West has relied on Republicans for help.
- A dozen paid operatives registered in Arizona to collect signatures on West’s behalf, listing their employer as Wells Marketing—a Republican firm that recently worked for MAGA candidate Blake Masters.
- West’s campaign is broke. According to his last campaign filing, he spent more on graphic design than on petition gathering.
- West “volunteers” were gathering outside Trump events, asking voters to sign West’s petitions to siphon votes from President Joe Biden.
- Trump allies publicly stated they were plotting to spoil the election against President Biden by backing third-party candidates, including West as well as Jill Stein and RFK Jr.
###
MoveOn is celebrating 25 years of people-powered progress this year. For more than a generation, MoveOn has built independent political power and mobilized the left to elect Democrats and enact progressive change. MoveOn is a bulwark against the radical right, channeling our collective voices to drive progressive foreign policy, protect democracy, and advance justice for all.