Republicans scrambled to get Cornel West on the Arizona ballot. The left-wing academic is OK with it

Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — A group of lawyers with deep ties to the Republican Party is scrambling to rescue a bid to get independent presidential candidate Cornel West on Arizona’s presidential ballot. The Arizona Secretary of State’s office said Monday that West did not file the paperwork needed to get on the ballot before Saturday’s deadline. The work by the GOP attorneys appears to be part of a broader effort by conservative activists and Republican-aligned operatives across the country to push West’s candidacy. The left-wing academic has expressed ambivalence about Republican efforts to help him, but he says, “We just want to get on that ballot.”