Sanders Campaign: NY Decision an 'Outrage'

The New York Board of Election's decision to cancel the state's Democratic primary is an "outrage" and a "blow to American democracy," Bernie Sanders' campaign said Monday. Campaign senior advisor Jeff Weaver said in a statement that the Board of Elections is ignoring the fact that the primary process not only determines the nominee, but also "the selection of delegates that helps determine the platform and rules of the Democratic Party." Weaver said New York should lose all its delegates to the Democratic National Convention "if this is not remedied," NBC reports. He said the Sanders campaign was "suspended, not ended, because people in every state have a right to express their preference."

"Just last week Vice President Biden warned the American people that President Trump could use the current crisis as an excuse to postpone the November election," Weaver said. "Well, he now has a precedent thanks to New York state." Board members cited coronavirus concerns and called the June 23 primary "essentially a beauty contest," although Gov. Andrew Cuomo has already signed an order sending postage-paid absentee ballot forms to all voters, the Hill reports. "This decision is not informed by public health: the state is still holding elections for every other seat that day," tweeted Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. (More Bernie Sanders 2020 stories.)