Feb. 3 (UPI) — Despite the protests of some of his fellow party members, Rep. Dean Phillips will appear on the Democratic ballot during Wisconsin’s presidential primary, the state’s Supreme Court has ruled.
The Wisconsin high court sided with Phillips in a Friday ruling, declaring the 55-year-old Minnesota congressman to be eligible after he sued to be added to the ballot for the Badger State’s April 2 primary election.
Phillips will appear on the Democratic ballot alongside President Joe Biden.
Author Marianne Williamson is also seeking the 2024 Democratic nomination in Wisconsin, which has 10 electoral votes in the Electoral College.
Former President Donald Trump and former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley are two of the six names that will appear on the Republican side of the state’s primary ballot.
Phillips failed to collect the 8,000 required signatures that would have guaranteed his name be added to the ballot.
He first appealed to Wisconsin’s Presidential Preference Selection Committee, which is made up of both Republicans and Democrats.
“The Selection Committee is granted discretion in determining whether a particular candidacy meets that standard, but it is statutorily mandated to perform that analysis,” Friday’s court ruling reads.
“The chair of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin listed only the name of Joseph Biden to be placed on the Democratic presidential preference primary ballot. Without any discussion, the Selection Committee unanimously adopted a motion to place the names submitted by the party chairs on the ballot.”
That led Phillips to appeal to the courts.
Lawyers for Phillips successfully argued the native of St. Paul, Minn., fulfills Wisconsin’s requirements, meaning his “candidacy is generally advocated or recognized in the national news media throughout the United States.”
“Thank goodness democracy is being protected by the judiciary, because our political parties are eroding it right in front of our eyes,” Phillips said on X following the ruling.
Phillips, who was first elected in Minnesota in 2018, collected nearly 20% of New Hampshire’s primary vote, which saw Biden claim an “overwhelming victory” because of write-ins.
The Wisconsin court found that the “relevant facts underlying the present action are undisputed. Dean Phillips is a United States representative serving the 3rd District of Minnesota. He is a declared candidate for the Democratic Party’s nomination for the 2024 presidential election.”
Phillips took aim at both sides of the aisle following the court ruling.
“As we fight (Republican former President Donald) Trump’s attacks on democracy we must also be vigilant against efforts by people in our own party to do the same,” Phillips said in a statement. “Voters should choose the nominee of our party without insiders trying to rig the process for Joe Biden.”
Fellow Democratic lawmakers called the move “a distraction.”
“I think the party can figure it out. I can’t believe that this is going forward. That seems ridiculous to me,” Democratic Gov. Tony Evers told reporters at an event hosted by Wispolitics.com on Friday.
“To me, it looks like (the committee) followed the process. I don’t know what his position will be in court but it’s just another distraction, frankly.”