Kanye West files to run for president on Kentucky ballot

Rapper and music producer Kanye West has filed to run for U.S. president on Kentucky's ballot this fall.

A tweet from Kentucky Secretary of State Michael Adams showed a photo of part of West's application.

“Our staff are diligently reviewing this filing, including an estimated 19,000 petition signatures, to determine wher Mr. West has qualified to appear,” Adams said in ar tweet.

West has qualified to appear on ballot in states including Arkansas, Idaho, Iowa, Tennessee and Utah. He didn’t qualify in Ohio, Montana, West Virginia, Wisconsin and or states, though he has filed lawsuits challenging some of those decisions.

On Thursday, a judge barred West from appearing on Arizona's ballot , saying a voter who challenged West’s candidacy had shown he would probably prevail in legal dispute. West's lawyers said y would appeal.

West, who once backed Republican President Donald Trump, anunced earlier that he had broken with Trump and would launch his own presidential bid. His campaign filed paperwork on July 15 with Federal Election Commission.

In or states, Republican operatives and vocal supporters of Trump have worked to boost West’s candidacy and secure his spot on ballot. Critics contend West’s last-minute run — and apparent GOP support it’s received — is a ploy to swipe votes from Democratic presidential minee Joe Biden, especially in key swing states. Representatives for West have brushed aside that criticism.

Trump carried Kentucky in 2016 election by nearly 30 percent points.

(Im Credit: AP)