Larry Crim, a candidate for the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate, is calling for a new Democratic primary in the wake of the state party's disavowal of the winner, Mark Clayton.
Mr. Crim said, "I am seeking immediate action from the Tennessee Democratic Party (TNDP) Chair, Chip Forrester - as the TNDP has disavowed Mark Clayton as a Democrat, stating he has not voted in but one Democratic primary before (for himself), he is associated with a known "hate group" and just garnered the putative nomination due to "top of ballot positioning."
He said party leaders should "follow up those public pronouncements with an official request from the TNDP of the Tennessee Coordinator of Elections that:
"1) The name of putative nominee Mark Clayton not be printed on the November ballot as representing the Democratic Party.
"2) A new Democratic primary be held mid-September 2012 containing only those names of the bona fide Democrats so that the voters and candidates' rights to a valid primary to select their Democratic nominee for the important office of United States Senator from amongst legitimate Democrats be upheld."
Mr. Crim added, "Barring said immediate action our campaign is filing a legal action for remedies. Barring same, immediate legal action will be taken to insure that the rights of the voters, candidates, party, and all the people of Tennessee are upheld.
This campaign for U.S. Senate is prepared to take legal action to protect the rights of the candidates, party, voters, and all the people of Tennessee to participate in a valid primary election where they can elect their nominee for the Democratic Party to represent them in the race for the important office of United States Senate.
"Clearly, the TNDP chair and the Tennessee Democratic Party failed to perform the duties of their important public office to assure that Mr. Clayton, who is not a bona fide Democrat, did not appear on the ballot in the first place on August 2nd 2012. The TNDP ByLaws provide that Mr. Clayton did not meet the qualifications and that the party chair was required to notify the Tennessee Department of Elections that Clayton was not qualified to be on the Democratic ballot."