The Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled on Friday that Democratic presidential candidate Dean Phillips’s name will appear on the state’s April 2 primary ballot after he claimed to have been unlawfully excluded from the Election.
The decision came after Phillips, a Democratic congressman representing Minnesota, accused the state Democratic Party of forcing him to spend about $300,000 to collect signatures through a separate process to acquire ballot access. He cited a provision of state election law that allows ballot access for candidates recognized as serious contenders by the news media.
The panel of judges wrote in Friday’s court’s opinion that the Wisconsin selection committee “held no discussion about Phillips or any other Democratic presidential primary candidate” during the entirety of its candidate selection meeting last month, which they said lasted “just over five minutes.”
Following the court’s decision, liberals hold a 4-3 majority on the court, and the justices often clash publicly with one another in cases that touch on Politics. However, there were no dissents noted in this case.
Phillips praised the decision, stating, “We are fighting to give voters a choice this election cycle — something that Democratic leadership across the country should be embracing if they truly value having a democratic election.”
Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers had previously called Phillips’s challenge “a distraction,” but ultimately the court’s ruling stands.
Before Friday’s court decision, Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers (D) had called Philipps’s challenge “a distraction.”
Additionally, Jeff Weaver, a senior strategist with Phillips’s campaign, said in a statement that the court “struck a blow against the anti-democratic attempts by Biden allies to unlawfully keep” Phillips off the ballot.
Phillips has vowed to continue his primary campaign in South Carolina and Michigan, and Wisconsin Democrats are looking ahead to the general election.
The fight to appear on the ballot for the Democratic primary demonstrates the ongoing challenges that candidates face when competing against established political figures. This case has significant implications for the democratic process and the right of citizens to access candidates of their choosing.
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