Yet West’s campaign’s ties with Republicans in Iowa are quite explicit. His petition to get on the ballot was signed by Todd Henderson, a longtime Republican operative in the state, whose Facebook cover photo recently showed him with Donald Trump. Henderson has also repeatedly shared pro-Trump content on his now-deleted Twitter account.
Further, one of the electors pledged to support West’s campaign, Tracy Barkalow, not only had a “Trump 2020” cover photo but also shared racially inflammatory right-wing content on his Facebook page, including a photo labeled “White Lives Matter.” Henderson liked the post.
A top official on the West campaign has shared similar content on social media as well. West’s campaign strategist, veteran Republican operative Gregg Keller, tweeted his support last weekend of an effort to raise money for the legal defense of Kyle Rittenhouse, the white 17-year-old accused of murdering two people in Kenosha, Wisconsin, last week.