Texas Democrats handed their Republican counterparts a lawsuit on Wednesday after they attempted to illegally remove embattled Rep. Blake Farenthold from the primary ballot.
The state GOP decided to remove Farenthold’s name from the list of primary candidates submitted to the secretary of state after mounting sexual misconduct allegations led the lawmaker to announce his intent to retire from Congress.
The announcement, however, came after the official withdrawal deadline and while the party’s decision was a violation of the law, they argued that the state had no way of forcing the party to comply, according to a report from the Austin American-Statesman.
Texas Democrats seized on the move.
“This is about protecting democracy, not Republican Blake Farenthold’s vile actions,” Democratic officials said in a statement. “Farenthold has no business serving in public office, but the primary ballot is set and he failed to withdraw.”
“Only voters have the power to choose who leads our state and nation, not politicians and party officers in backroom decisions. Last we checked, this was Texas not Russia,” the statement added.
The Democrats dropped their lawsuit later in the day after a judge denied their request to temporarily halt the process.
Farenthold has agreed to cooperate in ensuring that his name remains off the ballot in the upcoming election.
