The Aurora Party, a limited political party that began organizing in Alaska in 2023, dissolved itself shortly before the end of last year. The party nominated independent candidate Dr. Cornel West during the 2024 presidential election.
According to Ballot Access News, the Aurora Party officially disbanded on December 24, 2024. Internet archives show that its website went offline in the weeks following the election, and the party has since been removed from the state’s list of recognized limited political parties.
As a limited political party under Alaska law, the Aurora Party was eligible to nominate a presidential candidate. The party selected independent Dr. Cornel West, giving him his first official ballot line in the 2024 election cycle. A presidential filing packet from the Office of the Lieutenant Governor indicated that Aurora Party supporters needed to submit at least 3,614 signatures to qualify West for the ballot.
West and his running mate, Dr. Melina Abdullah, received 1,127 votes, accounting for three percent of the total.
Before going offline, the Aurora Party’s website outlined a series of priorities that included addressing poverty in Alaska by establishing an “Alaskan Universal Basic Income” and raising the Permanent Fund Dividend to $10,000, creating a publicly owned corporation to directly manage the state’s natural resources, and protecting ranked-choice voting.
A flash in the pan.