Kamala Harris and Donald Trump are not the only candidates for the American presidential election, although we only talk about these two personalities. Three other people are in the race for the White House.
The US presidential election is fast approaching. Americans are called to the polls on November 5, although some have already voted in several states. This election is of interest to the whole world, which is watching the tight race for the White House between Democrat Kamala Harris and Republican Donald Trump. However, three other candidates try their luck, although their victory is almost impossible.
Cornel West
Cornel West is running without a political party behind him. It is said to be “independent”. He is an American philosopher and academic. He taught at Harvard University (Massachusetts, United States), in the department of African-American Studies, at Yale University (professor of American History), and was professor of religion at the University of Princeton, specializing in black Americans. During his philosophy classes, he talks about African-American baptism (evangelist Christian movement), Marxism, pragmatism and transcendentalism (literary movement which considers that political and religious institutions corrupt human purity).
A true figure in the anti-racist struggle in the United States, he participated in demonstrations for equal civil rights as a teenager. He admires “the sincere activism of Malcolm The Cornel West Reader. While a professor at Yale University, he participated in a demonstration against Apartheid in South Africa, for which he was imprisoned.
He strongly supported Barack Obama’s campaign in 2007, before criticizing him: “He presented himself as a progressive and turned out to be a fraud. We ended up with a Wall Street presidency.” Concerning the war in Ukraine, he considers that the Russian invasion is criminal, but that it is due to a provocation by NATO. He wants Ukraine to make territorial concessions to its Russian enemy to ease the conflict. He announced his candidacy for the presidential election in June 2023, first on behalf of the People’s Party, then during the Green primary, but finished the race as an independent. During his campaign, he talked about health insurance, wages, housing, democracy, the environment and reproductive rights.
Jill Stein
Jill Stein is the Green candidate in this election. She was already in 2012 and then in 2016. A doctor, she describes herself as agnostic, which is unusual among American presidents who take an oath on the Bible during their inauguration. She practiced internal medicine for 25 years and taught at Harvard Medical School. She became an activist in 1998 against the establishment of coal-fired power plants in Massachusetts. She then received several awards for her commitment to public health. Indeed, she considers that it is linked to the local environment.
Jill Stein was a member of the Democratic Party before leaving for the Greens. She was critical of Barack Obama in 2012, saying that “Romney (Republican candidate) is a wolf in a wolf’s clothing, Obama is a wolf in a sheep’s clothing, but they both have essentially the same agenda.” “.
She is accused of collusion with Russia during the 2016 elections. She is accused of having a dinner with Vladimir Putin in 2015 as well as of having spoken in glowing terms of Julian Assange. Hillary Clinton, who lost this election to Donald Trumpeven blames him for his defeat. Jill Stein has always defended herself against these accusations, calling them slander.
She defends environmental ideas, such as a “Green New Deal”, which would promote job creation in renewable energies. She wants to finance this plan by limiting the military budget and increasing certain taxes on speculation and tax havens. She says she wants to put an end to the independence of the Federal Reserve, wants a free university system and the redemption of all student loans in the country.
Chase Oliver
Chase Oliver is the Libertarian Party candidate. This party campaigns for minimum legislation and taxation, free trade and strong individual freedoms. He worked for 13 years in the restaurant business before starting his political career. He first supported the Democrats and Barack Obama in 2008, but the latter supported the war in Iraq, Chase Oliver turned to the Libertarian party in 2010. He participated in several electoral campaigns in Georgia: the House of Representatives in 2020 and the senatorial elections in 2022.
His candidacy for the American election was made official in April 2023. He won the Libertarian primary after seven rounds of voting at the National Convention. Concerning his political positions, he is for abortion, does not wish to force companies to limit their carbon footprint so that they do it themselves, against the death penalty and mandatory minimum sentences. He wants education to be legislated state by state and not nationally like today. Concerning the conflicts ravaging Europe and the Middle East, he is in favor of ending military aid to Israel and Ukraine. He also describes the Israeli offensive on Gaza as genocide. Chase Oliver supports the carrying of weapons, assuring that “homosexuals with guns are more difficult to oppress and shoot down.” He has a progressive vision regarding LGBTQIA+ rights.