Democrat presidential candidate Dean Phillips will officially be absent from Tennessee’s March 5, 2024 ballot, according to the Tennessee Secretary of State’s Office.
Last week, Phillips filed a nominating petition to gain access to Tennessee’s presidential primary ballot.
County election commissions reviewed Phillips’ petition, which 2,500 registered voters signed, and determined the candidate did not meet the threshold to be added to the ballot.
With Phillips’ absence, incumbent President Joseph Biden is the only candidate certified for Tennessee’s March 5, 2024 ballot.
Phillips, who also will not appear on primary ballots in North Carolina and Florida, said his exclusion “sets a dangerous precedent for America’s future.”
“If Joe Biden is the best candidate to defeat Donald Trump and lead us to a safer, more affordable future, let him compete for that privilege without his supporters suppressing and disenfranchising millions of voters,” Phillips said in a statement. “As a sitting member of Congress, former member of House Democratic Leadership with millions of supporters nationwide, and on pace to be on the ballot in 45 states, including Texas and Michigan, being kept off the ballot in North Carolina and Florida is evidence that the Washington establishment wants a coronation, not a competition, and our country deserves someone with the courage to combat this hypocritical, inexcusable, and dangerous corruption.”
Last month, a Quinnipiac University national poll showed 58 percent of Democrat voters and 72 percent of Independent voters said they would like to see other candidates enter the presidential race.
Meanwhile, the following Republican candidates, listed in alphabetical order, will be on Tennessee’s March 5, 2024 ballot:
- Ryan Binkley
- Chris Christie
- Ron DeSantis
- Nikki Haley
- Asa Hutchinson
- Vivek Ramaswamy
- David Stuckenberg
- Donald J. Trump
Republican candidate Doug Burgum withdrew from the ballot after suspending his campaign on December 4.
“We are expecting a strong voter turnout for the presidential election cycle next year,” Secretary of State Hargett said in a statement. “I encourage all Tennesseans who need to register to vote or update their voter registration address do so now by using our convenient online voter registration system at GoVoteTN.gov.”
Early voting for the March 5, 2024 Super Tuesday Presidential Preference Primary and County Primary Election in Tennessee begins on February 14, 2024, and goes until February 27, 2024.
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Kaitlin on X / Twitter.
Photo “Dean Phillips” by Dean Phillips.
