Yes, a Trump lawyer helped Kanye West try to get on Wisconsin’s ballot

Kanye West this week upped the ante in an already interesting campaign season for Wisconsin.

On Aug. 4, 2020, the rapper made a last-ditch effort to get on the ballot for the Nov. 3 presidential election. West said in July that he would run for president under the "Birthday Party" and has since targeted ballots in several states — including key swing states like Wisconsin.

It remains unclear whether West obtained enough signatures to secure his spot — or if his campaign even filed the paperwork in time. But the attempt has stirred controversy across the state and country.

"The GOP lawyer who helped @kanyewest get on the ballot in Wisconsin is actively working for @realDonaldTrump’s campaign," stated an Aug. 5, 2020 Instagram post.

This post was flagged as part of Facebook’s and Instagram’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on their News Feeds. (Read more about our partnership with Facebook.)

Let’s dig in.

The Instagram post, viewed more than 32,000 times, shows a screen grab of a tweet from singer-songwriter John Legend that quotes another tweet by Vice reporter Cameron Joseph.

"Just in case anyone needs some clarity around what’s happening here," Legend wrote.

Joseph tweeted the statement on Aug. 4, the day signatures were due in Wisconsin.

According to an article from Joseph in Vice, the person seen dropping off West’s paperwork was Lane Ruhland, a lawyer who previously worked for the Republican Party of Wisconsin. Matt Smith, a reporter for WISN in Milwaukee, tweeted a video of Ruhland walking into the state Election Commission’s building a few minutes after the 5 p.m. filing deadline.

Featured Fact-check

Robin Vos

stated on November 6, 2024 in News conference

“Every single county in America, every single county, Kamala Harris did worse than Joe Biden did.”

Ruhland is also representing Trump’s campaign in a lawsuit against the Democratic super PAC Priorities USA and a Rhinelander TV station, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported.

Daniel Bice of the Journal Sentinel also noted that some of West’s 10 electors, who must pledge to vote for the rapper in the Electoral College if he wins Wisconsin, appear to be Trump supporters and Republican activists. 

Citing a tweet from a Vice reporter, an Instagram post said the GOP lawyer who helped Kanye West get on the ballot in Wisconsin is actively working for Donald Trump's campaign.

West lined up help from several Republicans in Wisconsin in his effort to appear on Wisconsin’s presidential ballot, including a GOP lawyer who’s representing the Trump campaign in a federal lawsuit.

We rate this claim True.