Cornel West, a liberal activist who launched a presidential bid in June, announced Thursday that he will leave the Green Party and run as an independent instead.

“As Dr. West’s campaign for president grows, he believes the best way to challenge the entrenched system is by focusing 100 percent on the people, not on the intricacies of internal party dynamics.”

But it also means he will not have to participate in the internal Green Party nominating process, which West had become concerned would distract from his efforts to take his message to voters.

“The two parties who have a monopoly on American politics because state legislatures make the rules have created an onerous and what they want to be impossible process,” West campaign manager Peter Daou said in an interview Thursday.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who is mounting a long-shot challenge to President Biden in the 2024 Democratic primary, has suggested that he is considering a pivot to a third-party campaign.

On the Republican side, former president Donald Trump is leading a large field of candidates seeking the GOP presidential nomination.

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