The Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled on Friday that Rep. Dean Phillips will be on the Democratic primary ballot, saying he meets the standard for candidate eligibility.
“Consequently, we direct that the name of Dean Phillips be placed on the 2024 Democratic presidential preference primary ballot as a candidate for the office of president of the United States,” the court said in the Friday opinion.The ruling means President Joe Biden will have one Democratic challenger in the state’s April 2 primary.
Phillips, D-Minn., celebrated the ruling in a post to X, saying, “Thank goodness democracy is being protected by the judiciary, because our political parties are eroding it right in front of our eyes.”
“I’ll keep exposing the truth and saying the quiet part out loud,” he added.The Biden campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The court wrote that the committee that determines which candidates appear on the party’s ballot “is granted discretion in determining whether a particular candidacy meets that standard” of being “generally advocated or recognized in the national news media.”
Phillips argued last week that he met the media standard and should be allowed on the ballot.The court found that the committee “held no discussion about Phillips or any other Democratic presidential primary candidate,” noting that the committee’s meeting regarding names for the ballot “lasted just over five minutes.”
Wisconsin Supreme Court rules that Dean Phillips must be on the primary ballot
