Rebekah Jones files appeal after getting tossed from Congressional ballot

by | Aug 10, 2022



  • Rebekah Jones filed an appeal after a judge ordered her name removed as a candidate for the 1st Congressional District
  • Jones drew national media attention in 2020 after falsely accusing Gov. Ron DeSantis’s administration of manipulating COVID-19 data
  • The court ruled that Jones did not meet the legal requirement of being a registered Democrat for 365 days before qualifying as a candidate

After a Leon County circuit judge issued a written ruling Monday blocking her from running for a Panhandle congressional seat, Democrat Rebekah Jones has taken the dispute to an appeals court. Jones’ attorney, Benedict Kuehne, filed a notice of appeal at the Tallahassee-based appeals court, according to documents posted on the Leon County circuit court website.

Jones, a former Florida Department of Health employee who drew widespread attention when she alleged Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration manipulated COVID-19 data, planned to run this year in Congressional District 1 in Escambia, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa and Walton counties.

But Peggy Schiller, another Democrat running for the seat, challenged Jones’ candidacy. During a hearing Friday, Judge John C. Cooper indicated he would block Jones from the ballot and followed Monday by issuing the written ruling.

Cooper found that Jones did not meet a legal requirement of being a registered Democrat for 365 days before qualifying and, as a result, said she was not eligible for the ballot.

“This court is keenly aware and sensitive to the right of citizens to choose their representatives and that the involvement by the court in the democratic process is an action to be taken only after serious and thoughtful reflection,” Cooper wrote. “While it provides this court no pleasure in removing a candidate from the ballot, and the court makes no judgment on the wisdom of the statute, the statute is clear, unambiguous and constitutional.”

Democrats are seeking to unseat U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., in the heavily Republican district.

Jones on Tuesday had been removed from a list of active candidates on the state Division of Elections website.

2 Comments

  1. dmmorrison

    Sorry to see her go. She should exemplary courage in standing up to DeSantis’ manipulation of Covid statistics — which, incidentally, is still going on. Florida’s numbers are a joke among statisticians.

  2. Anonymous

    This poor woman is a disaster.. EVERYTHING she touches becomes a lawsuit. From LSU, FSU, exes, state of Florida. A good friend or family member needs to suggest an intervention. She needs help.

 

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