Two third-party candidates will not appear on the ballot in Georgia after Democrats sued to remove their political opponents.
Two Fulton County Superior Court Judges knocked third-party candidates Cornel West and Claudia De la Cruz off the Georgia ballot on Wednesday. Democrats challenged the candidates, alleging paperwork issues. Democrats also sought to block Green Party candidate Jill Stein from running for president in Georgia, though Stein will remain on the ballot.
Both West’s and De la Cruz’s campaigns said they would appeal the decision, The Associated Press reported.
The decision came just weeks after Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger approved West (an independent candidate) and De la Cruz (a Party of Socialism and Liberation nominee who qualified as an independent in Georgia) to appear on the ballot.
Raffensperger hasn’t come out with a statement following Wednesday’s ruling, though he posted a cryptic message on X on Tuesday decrying “Partisan activists” who are “attempting to tilt the scales of this election.”
“The law is clear, and these qualified candidates have a right to be on Georgia’s ballot, and I will fight for voters’ rights every day to choose the candidate for whom they want to elect.”
Raffensperger previously permitted the two candidates to appear on the ballot after an administrative law judge ruled the duo were ineligible under state law, according to Georgia Recorder. The judge’s rule was reportedly not final.
De la Cruz had celebrated Raffensperger’s decision, calling it a “victory for democracy,” according to Georgia Recorder.
“The Democratic Party wanted to restrict the choices available to Georgia voters because they didn’t want to compete with a socialist campaign that offers real solutions to the huge problems facing working people.”
“We are proud to have stood up for our rights and the right of everyone in Georgia to vote for the candidate of their choosing. But this is not the end of the fight. Now, we are preparing to defend this legal victory from any appeal filed by the Democratic Party’s well-funded army of lawyers who are waging war on third parties nationwide,” De la Cruz reportedly continued.
Democrats have unleashed a fleet of well-funded lawyers to block left-of-center third-party candidates from gaining ballot access in battleground states in a bid to protect Vice President Kamala Harris’ chances of victory.
The party successfully booted West off the Michigan ballot in August after Democrats challenged his paperwork. West was told his affidavit of identity was not properly notarized. Stein was also challenged in Wisconsin as well as Nevada but survived the lawfare attempts.
Democrats successfully fought to keep independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. off the New York ballot and launched similar efforts in states like Pennsylvania and Illinois.
But after Kennedy announced he would drop off the ballot in certain states and endorse former President Donald Trump, Democrats began working overtime to force him to remain on the ballot in key swing states in a bid to hurt Trump.
“The Democrat-led North Carolina State Board of Elections narrowly voted to keep RFK Jr. on the November ballot,” even though he asked to have his name removed, The Federalist’s Matt Kittle reported. (The board’s decision was ultimately reversed by the North Carolina Supreme Court.) The Michigan Supreme Court recently issued a ruling that permits Democrat Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson to keep Kennedy’s name on the ballot. Kennedy’s name will also appear on the Wisconsin ballot despite Kennedy withdrawing his name. (Kennedy has since asked an appeals court to remove his name.)
Former Ohio Democrat Congressman Dennis Kucinich told The Federalist’s Matt Kittle that Democrats are “functioning as a cartel.”
“I can’t speak for the campaign, but on the one hand the DNC is trying to stop Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s access on the ballot and on the other hand they’re trying to keep him on the ballot,” Kucinich said. “What this means is that the DNC is functioning as a cartel with interest groups that support it, and they don’t want any competition.”
Brianna Lyman is an elections correspondent at The Federalist. Brianna graduated from Fordham University with a degree in International Political Economy. Her work has been featured on Newsmax, Fox News, Fox Business and RealClearPolitics. Follow Brianna on X: @briannalyman2
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