MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Democratic presidential candidate U.S. Rep. Dean Phillips sued too late after being left off of Wisconsin’s primary ballot and the state Supreme Court should reject his lawsuit, the state elections commission and a special bipartisan panel said Wednesday.
Phillips last week asked the Wisconsin Supreme Court to order that his name be added to 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 April 2 primary ballot.
The bipartisan presidential selection committee that didn’t forward his name in time, as well as the Wisconsin Elections Commission, told the Supreme Court in a joint response on Wednesday that Phillips waited too long.
“Phillips did nothing until the eleventh hour,” they said in their response filed with the court.
Since Jan. 2, Phillips know that his name had not been included as a candidate, but he didn’t start a petition drive to get on the ballot as the law allows or file a lawsuit until Jan. 26, the filing noted.