MADISON, Wis. — Democratic presidential candidate U.S. Rep. Dean Phillips wants the Wisconsin Supreme Court to order that he be put on the primary ballot in the battleground state after he was excluded by the state’s top Democrats who only put President Joe Biden’s name on the ballot.
Phillips asked the state’s highest court to take his case on Friday. On Monday, the Wisconsin Supreme Court gave the committee that put forward Biden’s name as the only Democratic candidate, as well as the state elections commission, until Wednesday to respond. Former President Donald Trump and five of his challengers, including four who have ceased campaigning, will also be on the Wisconsin ballot.
Phillips, who represents neighboring Minnesota in Congress, is running a longshot bid to defeat Biden. He is the only Democrat in elected office who is challenging Biden.
Phillips is looking for swift action in Wisconsin, asking the state Supreme Court to rule in the case by Feb. 9 in order to avoid any conflicts with deadlines for distributing absentee ballots ahead of the April 2 primary.
Phillips argues that his request to be put on the ballot was illegally ignored by the Wisconsin Presidential Preference Selection Committee, which is comprised of Republican and Democratic leaders who bring forward names for the ballot, and the Wisconsin Election Commission.
Phillips argued that he met the test in Wisconsin law for gaining ballot access that says a candidate must be “generally advocated or recognized in the national news media.”
According to the lawsuit, a top Phillips adviser contacted the chairman of the Wisconsin Democratic Party on Dec. 2 to request that they talk about ballot access. Four days later, the Phillips adviser received a call from the state Democratic Party’s executive director who acknowledged the request to be put on the ballot, but gave no indication that Phillips would be, the lawsuit argues.
A spokesperson for the Wisconsin Democratic Party did not return a…
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