It’s not even a given that West would actually pull votes from Biden instead of Trump. He has aligned with Trump on certain issues and appeared with him at least twice since 2016. West, 43, met with president-elect Trump before the inauguration. And he donned a red “Make America Great Again” hat for a 2018 meeting in the Oval Office. In a New York Times interview, West said he opposed abortion and talked about “restoring prayer in the classroom,” although he also talked about police reform.

Larry Jacobs, a political science professor at the University of Minnesota, said West could attract conservative Black voters who agree with Trump on policy issues but see him as a racist. Others say West could appeal to anti-establishment voters who would otherwise be more aligned with Trump than Biden.

Hoping West will skim some African-American support from Biden is not a great strategy for Republicans, said Peter Hanson, an associate professor of political science at Grinnell College in Iowa, and the director of the Grinnell College National Poll.

“It’s kind of a Hail Mary they’re throwing out there in the hope that if there’s a very, very close race, it might matter,” Hanson said.