Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders’ campaign called for New York to lose all of its delegates after the state’s board of elections voted to cancel the upcoming Democratic presidential primary.
Democrats on the board of elections voted to cancel the primary, which had already been pushed back from April to June 23 because of the coronavirus, The Week reported.
Sanders suspended his campaign last month but said he still sought to accrue delegates to "exert significant influence over the party platform and other functions" at the Democratic convention.
But Doug Kellner, a Democrat on the elections panel, argued that Sanders’ suspension "ended the real context for the primary election."
“Joe Biden is the only candidate and therefore he is effectively the winner of the New York primary," he said, adding that a primary would be "unnecessary and frivolous."
Sanders campaign furious:
Top Sanders adviser Jeff Weaver called the decision an “outrage” and a "blow to American democracy."
"What the Board of Elections is ignoring is that the primary process not only leads to a nominee but also the selection of delegates which helps determine the platform and rules of the Democratic Party," he said in a statement.
"If this is not remedied, New York should lose all its delegates to the 2020 Democratic National Convention and there should be a broader review by the Democratic Party of New York's checkered pattern of voter disenfranchisement," he added.
DNC to review decision:
The Democratic National Committee said it would review the state’s decision.
“Any substantive change to a state’s first determining step in allocating delegates like this one will need to be reviewed by the DNC’s Rules and By-Laws Committee,” spokesman David Bergstein told The Washington Post. “Once the state party submits an updated delegate selection plan, the committee will review that plan and make a determination.”
Larry Cohen, who heads the Sanders-founded group Our Revolution, argued the move violates DNC rules.
“I’m amazed at this decision,” he told The Post. “It totally violates DNC rules. Many of us who do support the election of Joe Biden will nonetheless be forced to go to the credentials committee and challenge any delegation New York may send to the convention.”
