Cornel West announces running mate for independent 2024 campaign

Independent presidential candidate Cornel West announced his vice presidential pick on Wednesday as he seeks to gain ballot access in additional states ahead of the November general election.

West's running mate will be Melina Abdullah, a California-based pan-African studies professor and leader of the California chapter of Black Lives Matter, the candidate said on "The Tavis Smiley Show," calling Abdullah "one of the great freedom fighters of a generation."

"I wanted someone whose heart, mind and soul is committed to the empowerment of poor and working people … She has a record of deep commitment and investment in ensuring poor and working people are at the center of her vision," he said.

Abdullah, for her part, said on Smiley's show that "I was not expecting the phone call I got last week" but almost immediately said yes.

As a Muslim, Abdullah said that the announcement was "divine timing," since it fell on the first day of Eid al-Fitr, one of the biggest celebrations in in Islam.

A prominent activist, author and philosopher, West had entered the 2024 field first as a Green Party candidate before switching to an independent bid.

His campaign noted ahead of Wednesday that his running mate decision would "allow the campaign to further progress in additional key states which require a VP candidate to obtain ballot access and give voters an independent choice alongside the duopoly candidates."

Independent candidates need a running mate to qualify for the ballot in multiple states. Another independent White House hopeful, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., encountered such a dilemma in the state of Nevada, where his lack of running mate at the time he delivered the signatures required to get on the state's ballot may now invalidate his efforts to gain access.

Kennedy announced his vice presidential pick, Nicole Shanahan, shortly after the dispute arose. (State officials have not resolved the issue.)

West's campaign has said he is on the ballot in four states: Alaska, Oregon, South Carolina and Utah, either independently or associated with minor parties, though officials in each state have not yet confirmed that.

He was on the Peace and Freedom March 5 presidential primary ballot in California, where current results show him in second place. Results will be certified in California on April 12.

Going forward, West's campaign has said they're attempting to get him on ballots in all 50 states. In January, they announced that he was launching a new political party, the Justice for All Party, in order to more easily gain access everywhere as in some places it's easier, mostly because of signature requirements, to get on the ballot as a member of a new party rather than as an independent.

Richard Winger, a ballot access expert and political analyst, told ABC News that a number of past third-party or independent candidates have used patchwork methods the way West is attempting in order to get on more ballots.

New party creation is achieved state-by-state, so West may be able to gain access in one place as an independent and another place as a member of the Justice for All Party or even affiliated with other small parties.

ABC News' Oren Oppenheim contributed to this report.