Florida Democrats Submit Only Biden's Name For Primary

https://tampabay.com/news/florida-politics/florida-democrat-part…

The Florida Democratic Party is standing by its decision to scrap its presidential primary after it submitted only President Joe Biden’s name for the 2024 ballot.

The move has evoked anger and threats of legal action from Biden’s long-shot primary rivals, who say the party is depriving voters of the ability to choose their own presidential nominee at a time when polls suggest a majority of Americans are frustrated with Biden’s performance.

“We’re not trying to create a conflict here,” progressive political commentator Cenk Uygur, who launched a presidential bid last month, said during a Friday news conference alongside fellow 2024 hopeful Marianne Williamson. “We’re just trying to do the bare minimum of getting on the ballot. And we’ve all earned it, and there’s no need for this conflict.”

Williamson and Uygur said they sent a letter Friday to the Florida Democratic Party asking that their names be submitted to the Florida Secretary of State’s office so they can be put on the primary ballot. Another candidate, Democratic U.S. Rep. Dean Phillips of Minnesota, is preparing to send his own letter to the party, a spokesperson for his campaign said.

Jeff Weaver, a senior adviser to Phillips, said the campaign was looking at a range of options to try to get the Minnesota congressman’s name on the Florida primary ballot, including a potential lawsuit or an effort at the 2024 Democratic National Convention to challenge the credentials of Florida’s delegates.

“We’re consulting with lawyers now and I think we’ll take a multi-pronged approach,” he said. “A lawsuit if appropriate, an appeal to the Democratic National Committee and, if none of those resolve this problem, a credentials challenge at the convention, which could result in Florida losing all its delegates.”