Cornel West is relying on right-wing lawyers to advance his left-wing presidential campaign • Michigan Advance

The independent presidential campaign of Cornel West has ties to well-known conservative figures in Michigan and beyond.

“He’s just lost his way,” said election lawyer Melvin Butch Hollowell , a former co-chair of the Michigan Democratic Party ( MDP ) Hollowell also served as corporation counsel of the city of Detroit under Mayor Mike Duggan .

West has been represented by a slew of attorneys with connections to Republican politics.

Dr. West and Dr. Melina Abdullah are running for office: to speak for those suppressed by major political machines.

The Associated Press reported earlier this month that other attorneys with “deep ties” to the Republican Party worked to get West onto the ballot in Arizona , an effort that ultimately failed.

West received a maximum individual contribution of $ 3,300 in 2023 from billionaire Harland Crow .

Hollowell said he couldn’t point to any particular date, but said there was no doubt he had turned a corner.

“I think people get too enamored with themselves. Others might even say it’s a form of narcissism. You began to believe that you are the be-all, end-all of what's going on in this world,” he said.