Kanye West qualifies as presidential candidate in Utah

Rapper's campaign received the necessary 1,000 signatures from registered voters, official says

Kanye West has qualified as a presidential candidate in Utah after receiving 1,000 signatures from registered voters.

The rapper will appear on the state’s ballot in November as an unaffiliated presidential candidate, an election official said on Monday.

Utah State Elections also confirmed the presidential bid on Twitter, announcing Mr West on the list of candidates filed with the office.

State Elections Director, Justin Lee, said that Mr West’s campaign received the necessary 1,000 signatures from registered voters required to appear on the Utah ballot.

The star announced that he was launching a presidential bid on Fourth of July. His campaign filed petitions to appear on the ballot in 10 states, some of which have been found inadequate by election officials, according to a report by The Washington Post.

The rapper has so far qualified in several states including Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Colorado, but his efforts to get on the ballot in Wisconsin, a major swing state, have been challenged.

The announcement comes amid accusations that a number of Republican operatives are purposely aiding Mr West’s bid in swing states in the hope that he will take votes away from Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden.

Donald Trump has denied any involvement in helping GOP operatives add Mr West’s name to the presidential ballot in several key states.

“I like Kanye very much, but no, I have nothing to do with him getting on the ballot. We’ll have to see what happens. We’ll see if he gets on the ballot. But I’m not involved,” Mr Trump previously said.

Jason Miller, a senior campaign adviser, also said the Trump campaign was not involved in helping Mr West get on the ballot.

Additional reporting by the Associated Press