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.
