Democratic presidential hopefuls may not appear on Michigan’s Jan. 15 primary ballot after all.
Today, state Senate leaders refused to place John Edwards, Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., Sen. Joe Biden, D-Del., and New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson back on the ballot after the candidates withdrew from Michigan’s race when the state violated the Democratic National Committee’s rules and moved up the primary date.
Dissension among Democrats, a push for election reforms and a possible lawsuit against the state were reasons the Republican-led Senate refused to place the candidates back on the ballot, said Matt Marsden, spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Mike Bishop, R-Rochester.
“Republicans are no longer going to sit and watch Democrats struggle with whether they want an open or closed primary,” Marsden said. “The Republicans are going to have a primary, and our candidates are participating.”
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