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Kanye May Run for President in 2020. But What is Happening Now?

© REUTERS / Mario AnzuoniKanye West accepts the Video Vanguard Award at the 2015 MTV Video Music Awards in Los Angeles, California, August 30, 2015
Kanye West accepts the Video Vanguard Award at the 2015 MTV Video Music Awards in Los Angeles, California, August 30, 2015 - Sputnik International
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On Sunday, Kanye West announced he will be running for president in 2020. Despite being a bit sensational, the idea makes sense taking into account what is happening in the course of the ongoing campaign.

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Famous US rap-singer Kanye West announced he is running for president in 2020 during the 2015 MTV Music Video Awards show on Sunday.

The singer made the announcement at the end of his epic 10-minute speech for a lifetime achievement award.

"And yes, as you probably could’ve guessed in this moment, I’ve decided in 2020 to run for president," West said, before walking off stage.

Kanye for president? Now, the idea may not seem that absurd if one takes a look at what’s happening in 2016 presidential campaign.

Currently, five Democrats and a total of 17 Republicans are running for president. The US voting age population is nearly 246 million people (as of 2014), but still over two dozen candidates – disregarding a number of independent and third party contenders – seems to be overwhelming.
Currently, despite the fact that some contenders have a similar stance on a number of issues (healthcare, foreign policy, social problems etc.), both the Democrats and Republicans are still lacking consistency in their election campaigns.

What is more, the number does not always equal quality. For instance, Republican voters have mixed feelings about the sheer list of GOP candidates. According to a Monmouth University poll conducted in July, 39 percent of Republican voters said the current number of candidates was bad for the party, while 34 percent said it was good. Despite their mixed feelings on the number of candidates, Republican voters had a different stance about their quality – 69 percent said they were dissatisfied with the quality of their candidate pool, according to a Huffington Post/YouGov poll.

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The unprecedented extension of the number of candidates has a series of reasons behind it. The combination of campaign finance reform, technical developments, and social media advancements has lowered the entry barriers for candidates, especially for those with less moderate views, a US News article reads.

Of course, there are candidates among the pool of contenders who will be kicked out of the race in the course of the campaign. However, post-campaign benefits allow them to promote themselves or their political platform, the author adds.

The practical result of the situation may be that it is extremely hard for voters to make a right choice, if any. Paradoxically, the freedom to choose and vote may turn into the inability to do that.

However, what could Kanye West’s recent announcement mean for the future of the electoral process in the US?

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His words cannot be dismissed only as the behavior of an outrageous, outspoken celebrity. To some extent, his willingness to run for president in 2020 reflects a trend which has become visible by the example of Donald Trump, an actual GOP candidate. The famous billionaire who is always ready with his tongue has managed to lead the Republican race having leapfrogged such popular and experienced politicians as Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio.

With no doubt, candidates such as Trump (and possibly West in the 2020 campaign) make the presidential race more spectacular and presidential debates more popular. The problem is that they would take away votes from candidates with much more realistic and thoughtful programs but poor acting skills.

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