Kanye West Manages To Raise Just $11,500 And Spends $6.8 Million On Presidential Campaign
Kanye West loaned a whopping $6.8 million to his presidential committee this year, pouring his own money to fund his campaign during the first month of a half of his unconventional bid. These figures have been revealed in his initial campaign disclosure report.
With no financial supporters, the West campaign is almost self-funded. In its first disclosure filing with the Federal Election Commission, the campaign reported loaning nearly $6.8 million and receiving only $11,000 in the form of outside contributions.
In his report, West said he spent $5.9 million and has more than $1.2 million in outstanding debt that he owest to consultants. A major portion of the campaign’s expenses has been to get the rapper on ballots in states across the nation.
West's campaign, reportedly, spent $4.4 million on multiple ballot access-related expenses. He is currently on the ballots in some states, with litigation pending in a handful of other states. A significant amount of his expenses are going to some firms.
Kanye reported shelling out about $1.3 million to pay Atlas Strategy Group, a firm of Gregg Keller, who is a top Republican operative with experience of heading major conservative groups. Keller has worked on campaigns former President George W. Bush, Sen. Josh Hawley, and few other Republicans.
Aside from that, he, reportedly, paid under $1.5 million to Arizona based firm Fortified Consulting, and $2.6 million to Millennial Strategies, a firm based in Long Island that lists Democrats as clients, including congressional candidate Suraj Patel, who unsuccessfully challenged Rep. Carolyn Maloney in a primary this year, Pete Buttigieg’s presidential campaign, and the current New York City public advocate Jumaane Williams.
Fortified Consulting shares a mailing address with the Lincoln Strategy Group, which worked for Donald Trump's campaign in 2016, along with a handful of other Republicans. Furthermore, he paid $25,000 to John Boyd, whom New York magazine touts as a spiritual adviser to the rapper.
In addition to that, he paid $25,000 to Isaac Ford, whom the Tennessean reported helped West to get on the ballot in that state. Moreover, West's campaign reported paying $444,000 to Millennial Strategies for polling and spending $95,000 on travel to a charter jet company.
Kanye has also spent more than $260,000 in legal fees to multiple firms, as he sues in several states to get on the ballot. Husch Blackwell, a Wisconsin firm that employs an attorney who has worked for West and Trump was paid $10,000.
West recently asked the Arizona state Supreme Court to reverse its ruling that restricts him from being on the ballot in the battleground state. The report included spending and fundraising between July 15 and Aug. 30.