Kanye West's Presidential Hopes Hit Roadblock; Judge Bars Rapper From Appearing On Arizona's Ballot

A judge has barred Kanye West’s name from appearing on the Arizona ballot for the Nov. 3 elections, siding with a voter who challenged the rapper’s candidacy.

West launched a bid to run as an independent candidate in Arizona, but voter Rasean Clayton filed a lawsuit for the presidential hopeful to be barred from being added to the ballot. Judge Scott McCoy ruled on Thursday, Sept. 3, that Clayton “established that the relative hardships favor” West, Associated Press reported.

Clayton's lawsuit argued that West should be disqualified as he is a registered Republican. His lawyers said that adding the 43-year-old musician's name on the ballot would also create confusion for voters.

Just a day prior to the judge's ruling, the presidential candidate had turned in nearly 58,000 nominating signatures, which would have seen his name being included on the Arizona ballot. The minimum required is 39,000 signatures.

West’s lawyers, meanwhile, argued that West being registered as a Republican in Wyoming has no connection to his name appearing on the ballot in Arizona. The rapper listed his political party as “BDY,” an abbreviation for Birthday Party, when he filed federal election paperwork.

Arizona goes to polls on Nov. 3, and it is not immediately known if West will challenge the judge's decision to bar him.

West’s lawyer, Tim LaSota, who represents him in the Arizona challenge, called the lawsuit a “last-ditch effort on the eve of the (signature filing deadline) to deprive voters of a choice.”

He also denied allegations that West was trying to interfere with Democratic nominee Joe Biden's chances in Arizona.

“That's just political hyperbole,” LaSota said, Associated Press reported. “I don't want to get into the politics of it. But obviously I think there is a lot to be achieved by someone else running for president.”

Democrats had earlier accused Republicans, and President Donald Trump, of helping West get on election ballots.

Trump had distanced himself from these claims, saying he had nothing to do with it, Washington Post reported.

“No not at all,” the president told reporters when asked if he was aware of people in his party helping West get on the ballot during a media briefing last month. “Other that I get along with him [West] very well, I like him, I like his wife.”

“I like Kanye West very much. I’ve got nothing to do with him getting on the ballot. We’ll see what happens, if he even gets on the ballot. But I’m not involved,” he continued.

West, who announced his presidential campaign on July 4, qualified to appear on the ballot in several states, including Arkansas, Idaho, Iowa, Tennessee and Utah.

However, the Yeezy founder didn’t qualify for Ohio, Montana, West Virginia and Wisconsin, among others. But West filed lawsuits to challenge the rulings in some of the states he has been barred from appearing on the ballot.