Independent presidential candidate Cornel West said Wednesday that he selected Melina Abdullah as his running mate.
West made the announcement that Abdullah will join his left-wing ticket during a radio appearance on The Tavis Smiley Show.
"I wanted someone whose heart, mind and soul is committed to the empowerment of poor and working peoples," West said. "She has a record of deep commitment and investment in ensuring that poor and working people are at the center of her vision."
Abdullah, like West, is a prominent scholar and racial justice advocate who previously chaired the Pan-African Studies department at California State University in Los Angeles.
"I was not expecting the phone call I got last week, at all," Abdullah said on the show. "It was the furthest thing from my mind.
"Immediately my heart just soared. I haven't felt that kind of life-giving energy since the last child I had. My soul and my spirit, and it felt as though God was speaking to me, said ‘yes' immediately."
Abdullah also is a supporter of the Black Lives Matter movement and an adherent of the Muslim faith. During her appearance on the radio show, Abdullah spoke about being a Muslim and running at a time of increased division and heightened geopolitical tensions.
"When we talk about Islam we talk about people who submit to the will of God," she said. "Christianity and Islam and every other faith, if you think about the core of who we are as spiritual people, we're all aligned."
West's announcement comes as the general election has shaped up to be a rematch between President Joe Biden, the Democrat incumbent, and former President Donald Trump, the likely GOP nominee, with fellow independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. also vying as an outsider.
According to The Hill, West had to declare a running mate in order to appear on state ballots before their signature collection deadlines. Thus far, he has qualified for Alaska, Oregon, South Carolina, and Utah, according to a campaign release.
The 70-year-old Washington outsider has spent most of his career focused on academics and activism, holding multiple advanced degrees and publishing extensively on philosophy. He initially ran as a progressive in the Democrat primary before switching to the Green Party, then landed as the second independent in the 2024 presidential race.
More liberal than Biden and Kennedy, West's platform is "rooted in truth, justice and love" and focuses on redistribution of wealth, social justice, and dismantling corporate overreach.
"Both of us want to disrupt the narrative that you have only two choices," Abdullah said. "We live in a world of abundance. We enter this as faithful people."
Nicole Weatherholtz ✉
Nicole Weatherholtz, a Newsmax general assignment reporter covers news, politics, and culture. She is a National Newspaper Association award-winning journalist.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.