Nelson says he’s readying lawsuit to fight DNC

Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) upped the ante in the battle over the Democratic presidential primary calendar on Tuesday, saying he is moving forward with legal action to fight the Democratic National Committee (DNC) for the state’s right to hold a Jan. 29 primary.

“Now there is no choice,” Nelson said. “I’m preparing a lawsuit.”

{mosads}Nelson and Rep. Alcee Hastings, the Democratic chairman of the state’s congressional delegation, sent DNC Chairman Howard Dean a letter on Friday asking that he lift the sanctions imposed by the DNC, and they threatened a lawsuit if he did not.

Florida Democrats have until Friday to change their primary date, or they will lose all their delegates to the national convention.

Dean responded in a letter reaffirming the sanctions. He said none of the proposed compromises were acceptable because they didn’t comply with the parameters of the DNC’s Rules and Bylaws Committee, which do not allow for binding contests prior to Feb. 5 for all but four states — Iowa, Nevada, New Hampshire and South Carolina.