Cornel West doesn’t want to hear the word spoiler.

The public intellectual turned independent presidential candidate was a (sort of) supporter of President Joe Biden in 2020. Now, he’s trying to get to the White House himself — and he insists his presence in the race is more than just being a complicating factor for President Joe Biden’s reelection bid.

“I say, ‘this is what I have to offer.' If you're not convinced, and you see me as a spoiler, then you don't vote for me,” West said on Thursday. “If you ended up viewing me as a spoiler when you really should have — or wanted to — vote for Biden, you vote for Biden then. ”

West stopped by POLITICO HQ on Thursday for a wide-ranging, hour-plus conversation on everything from his path to the ballot to the crisis currently facing American higher education.

For today’s Q&A, here is a snippet of the conversation focused on the 2024 election and West’s place in it. He argued to POLITICO that his candidacy was more than just a spoiler for Biden — and said his campaign is working to get on the ballot in dozens of states.

This conversation has been edited for brevity (significantly) and clarity.

I want to know how long you have been considering running for president, and running for president as an independent or in a third-party........

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