LEON COUNTY, Fla — He’s running as a Democrat. He’s winning primaries as a Democrat. But Bernie Sanders is not a Democrat. He’s an independent.
Vermont’s voters saw an ‘I’ next to his name when they elected the self-described Democratic Socialist to the Senate – and that’s the basis for a lawsuit filed in Florida that argues Sanders shouldn’t be allowed to compete here.
Florida’s primary is closed, meaning only registered Democrats can vote for one of the Democratic candidates. It’s the same on the Republican side.
USA Today reports a retired letter carrier named Frank Bach and a retired social worker named George Brown are suing the Florida Democratic Party, the Democratic National Committee, Florida Secretary of State Laurel Lee and Sanders himself in attempt to block him from the ballot.
CBS Miami says they also want to stop election officials from counting any mail-in votes Sanders has already received.
According to USA Today Bach and Brown are being represented by retired judge Karen Gievers who filed the lawsuit in Leon County Circuit Court.
She said it’s not about Sanders’ far-left politics or policies, which have some moderate Democrats questioning his ability to beat Donald Trump in November.
“Their concern is that there not be someone running as a Democrat who isn’t because that’s messing up their vote,” Gievers told USA Today.
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