Kanye West has spent nearly $6million of his own money on his 2020 presidential campaign since July, records show. Financial filings wi...
Kanye West has spent nearly $6million of his own money on his 2020 presidential campaign since July, records show.
Financial filings with the Federal Election Commission, obtained by Politico, show that West personally loaned his campaign - which kicked off on July 19 - nearly $6.8million.
The filings cover the period from July 15 to August 30.
New filings show that Kanye West has spent nearly $6million on his presidential campaign run. He is picture at the campaign's launch event on July 19, crying as he discussed nearly aborting his first child after learning now-wife Kim Kardashian was pregnant
So far, West has reported spending $5.9million on the campaign and has over $1.2million in outstanding debt, which is owed to consultants.
The filing also indicated that he has received about $11,000 in outside contributions to the campaign.
Most of the campaign expenses - amounting to $4.4million - were reported to have been spent on trying to get West onto ballots across the country.
West, who is running as a third-party candidate with the 'Birthday Party,' is currently on ballots in 10 states, among them potential battlegrounds like Colorado, Iowa and Minnesota, CNN reported.
The bulk of the money West's campaign has spent has been on consultants and legal fees while trying to get onto state ballots
He is said to have litigation pending in other states. At the moment, though, even if he carried the states in which he is on the ballot, he would not have enough electoral college votes to win.
The bulk of West's other expenses were reported to be paid to consulting firms.
His campaign said that they had paid nearly $1.3million to Atlas Strategy Group, run by Republican Gregg Keller, who worked on campaigns for Republicans including President George W. Bush and Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley.
An additional $2.6million is being paid to Millennial Strategies, which says it worked with Democrats including Pete Buttigieg's presidential campaign and New York City public advocate Jumaane Williams' campaign.
The campaign said that it was spending $444,000 with the company for polling.
West's campaign is also spending about $1.5million with Fortified Consulting in Arizona, which Politico said has the same mailing address as Lincoln Strategy Group's Arizona headquarters.
Lincoln Strategy Group worked on President Trump’s 2016 campaign, in addition with other Republicans, the news outlet reported.
West was reported to have spent more than $260,000 in legal fees while trying to get onto state ballots. Among his legal efforts is asking the Arizona Supreme Court to reverse the ruling that keeps him off the state's ballot.
West is a registered Republican and is therefore not allowed to be on the ballot as Donald Trump, the Hollywood Reporter said.
Smaller sums were paid to individuals.
John Boyd, once described as West's 'spiritual adviser,' was paid $25,000. Another $25,000 was paid to Isaac Ford, who reportedly helped West get onto Tennessee's ballot - Ford's brother and father, also of Tennessee, were Democratic members of Congress.
West's campaign said that it has spent $95,000 on charter jet company flights so far.
West made headlines after he cried as he told people at his South Carolina campaign launch event that he and wife Kim Kardashian discussed aborting their first child after learning Kardashian was pregnant.
No comments