Cornel West ditches Green Party, will run as independent

West began his campaign with the People's Party, but eventually switched to the Greens, with whom he felt he had a better shot at garnering support. His decision comes just days after it was reported that Robert F Kennedy would be leaving the Democrats for an independent ticket.

"Cornel West is in this race to challenge the hegemony of the two ruling parties (the corporate duopoly), which oppresses the poor and working class. It is long past time to stop ping-ponging between Republicans and Democrats while millions of our friends and neighbors lack housing, health care, decent jobs, clean air, clean water, nutritious food, and a healthy environment,” his campaign said in a statement.

“Democracy means more choice, not backroom deals. It means freedom to vote your conscience without being shamed or bullied. As Dr. West's campaign for president grows, he believes the best way to challenge the entrenched system is by focusing 100 percent on the people, not on the intricacies of internal party dynamics," his campaign said in a statement.

In an interview with Politico, West's campaign manager Peter Daou said the next step is to get his name on the ballot in all 50 states.

"It's a major strategic hurdle for an independent or third party to attain ballot access even in one state, let alone all 50 as a present presidential candidate," he said. "We will be applying as much rigorous analysis as we can to the best way to approach this because we don’t have unlimited resources."