Florida Democrats Sue To Keep Bernie Sanders OFF Primary Ballot
The Democrats are in a full panic over socialist Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders Securing the Democratic presidential nomination.
Internal polls are reportedly showing that if Sanders secures the nomination, he could harm swing district Democrats who will be on the ballot in November.
In what looks like a move to protect their control of the U.S. House, two Florida Democrats are suing to block Sanders from the state’s March 17 presidential primary.
They say Sanders is an Independent, not a Democrat, and should not be allowed on the ballot.
From Politico:
In a lawsuit filed Monday in circuit court in Leon County, the plaintiffs ask that Sanders be disqualified from the Democratic primary because he’s a declared independent.
The complaint also seeks to prevent state election officials from counting any votes Sanders has already received. More than 244,000 Democrats have already voted by mail in Florida.
Karen Gievers, a former circuit court judge representing Frank Bach and George Brown, both Tallahassee Democrats, said Sanders should not be allowed on the Democratic ballot.
Sanders if officially listed as an Independent and has raised money in his Senate campaign account as an independent, according to the lawsuit.
“Florida is a closed primary state, yet here we have someone who is an independent on the Democratic ballot,” said Gievers. “You can’t be an independent and be a member of the party.”
“Florida law gives political parties leeway to decide which candidates can appear on a party’s primary ballot, and the Florida Democratic Party last year chose to include major candidates with national attention and national reach,” Politico reported.
Sanders is coming off strong performances in Iowa, New Hampshire, and Nevada — and it's clear he's the Democratic frontrunner.
Democrats are starting to freak out that it could cost them control of the U.S. House.
Rep. Cedric Richmond (D-LA) said, “If Bernie Sanders was at the top of the ticket, we would be in jeopardy of losing the House. We would not get the Senate back.”
Minnesota Democratic Rep. Dean Phillips said: “I’m the first Democrat to win in my district since 1958. I attracted a lot of independent and moderate Republican support, many of whom probably voted for a Democrat for the first time in a long time. And while I respect Bernie Sanders as a senator, as a candidate, his candidacy is very challenging for people who come from districts like mine.”
South Carolina Democrat Representative Joe Cunningham strongly pushed back on Sanders’ extremist proposals, which would cost almost $100 trillion, a figure that would easily bankrupt the U.S.
“South Carolinians don’t want socialism,” Cunningham said. “We want to know how you are going to get things done and how you are going to pay for them. Bernie’s proposals to raise taxes on almost everyone is not something the Lowcountry wants and not something I’d ever support.”
It's clear Democrats are preparing for Republicans to win big across the board in November if Bernie is the nominee.
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