Biden opponents respond to Florida Democrats canceling presidential preference election

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – The Florida Democratic Party is reportedly seeking to cancel their March 19 presidential preference primary for the 2024 election.

POLITICO reported that the party only submitted President Joe Biden’s name as a qualifying candidate for the nomination.

This action angered Marianne Williamson and U.S. Rep. Dean Phillips, D-Minn., Biden’s lesser-known primary opponents.

Florida election law specifies that the parties are responsible for submitting candidate names that have qualified for the primary ballot.

Although the secretary of state’s deadline was technically Thursday, the Florida Democrats reportedly sent a notice at the beginning of November detailing that they would only be submitting Biden’s name as an eligible candidate.

A Florida Democratic Party spokesperson told CNN that if only one candidate’s name would appear on the ballot, then the election is canceled.

“What happened in Florida yesterday is a tragedy and a travesty,” Phillips said on social media. “The Florida Democrats decided, just a handful of people, decided to disenfranchise millions of Democratic voters in Florida by saying ‘we’re not going to have a presidential primary.'”

“This is the kind of stuff that happens in Tehran, not in Tallahassee,” he added. “We’ve got to do something about this.”

Florida Democratic Party Chairwoman Nikki Fried reportedly responded to Phillips’ comments, arguing against his claims.

“We are dismayed by Dean Phillps’ conspiratorial and inappropriate comments comparing the state of Florida to the Iranian regime as part of his knee-jerk reaction to long-established procedures,” Fried said. “This is unbecoming of someone running for higher office.”

Williamson, a former 2020 Democratic presidential candidate, was the first individual to vie for the nomination.

“You have to jump through a lot of hoops to get on the ballot in states across the country, but Florida takes the cake: they won’t even let you try!” Williamson said on social media. “The FL Sec. of State has decided to simply allow the Florida Democratic Party to DECIDE who it wants to be on the ballot!”

“This absurd and unconstitutional display is exactly how an authoritarian state works: People are told they can vote, but are informed by someone else who their options will be,” she said. “The words of my father keep ringing in my ear: ‘Beat the system, kids, beat the system!'”

U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, referenced the news when he said how Democrats “continue to wage war on democracy.”