DNC mounts challenge to boot Green Party candidate from Wisconsin ballot – Washington Examiner

Zach LaChanceAugust 15, 2024

The ‌Democratic National Committee (DNC) has filed a complaint challenging the Green Party’s eligibility ⁤for the presidential ballot in Wisconsin. David‍ Strange, the DNC’s deputy operations director in the state, argues that the Green Party cannot nominate presidential electors because it lacks a qualified ‌state officer. ⁢Additionally, the complaint mentions that the Green Party opted not to pursue a write-in campaign during the recent Wisconsin primary. DNC senior advisor⁤ Adrienne Watson stated that the Green Party’s failure to field ‍candidates for legislative or statewide offices disqualifies them from being on the ⁤ballot. This challenge follows a similar incident in 2020, when the Wisconsin ⁣Supreme Court rejected the ⁣Green Party’s bid for ballot ‍access, amid concerns that their candidate could detract votes from the Democratic candidate.

DNC mounts challenge to boot Green Party candidate from Wisconsin ballot

A Democratic National Committee employee has filed a complaint alleging that the Green Party is ineligible for the Wisconsin presidential ballot.

David Strange, the DNC deputy operations director in Wisconsin, argues in the complaint that because the Green Party does not have a state officer who would qualify as a nominator, it cannot choose any presidential electors.

The complaint also states that the Green Party could have done a write-in campaign for legislative candidates in the Wisconsin primary Tuesday but chose not to, leading to the complaint.

“Because the Wisconsin Green Party hasn’t fielded candidates for legislative or statewide office and doesn’t have any current incumbent legislative or statewide office holders, it cannot nominate candidates and should not be on the ballot in November,” senior adviser to the DNC Adrienne Watson said in a statement.

The Green Party’s status on the ballot has been challenged in the past, with the Wisconsin Supreme Court rejecting its bid for ballot access in a 4-3 ruling nearly two months before the 2020 election. Democrats feared at the time that the Green Party candidate, Howie Hawkins, could hurt then-candidate Joe Biden in the battleground state.

This is also not the first time Democrats have gone after a third-party candidate in this election. In a case brought forward by the Democratic-aligned group Clear Choice Action, independent Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was denied a spot on the New York ballot on Monday after Judge Christina Ryba ruled that he used a “sham” address to register to vote in the state. Democrats are attempting to get him off other states’ ballots, as well.

The DNC complaint comes as former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris are locked in a tight race for the presidency. When third-party candidates are included in the race in Wisconsin, Harris leads Trump by 1.8 percentage points, 46.3% to 44.5%, according to RealClearPolitics. In a two-way matchup in the battleground state, Harris only leads by 1.2 percentage points, 48.9% to 47.7%.