Ronald Klain, an adviser to former Vice President Joseph R. Biden’s presidential campaign, on Tuesday questioned Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine’s move to order the polls closed in his state’s presidential primary contest.
Mr. Klain did compliment Mr. DeWine for his efforts on responding to the coronavirus outbreak, saying he’s been one of the “leading governors” and that it’s not a partisan issue.
“[I’m] a little worried that this was done in defiance of a court order and that the state didn’t pursue this through the courts as it should have,” Mr. Klain, who coordinated the Obama administration’s response to the Ebola outbreak, said on CNN’s “New Day.”
“I understand why Gov. DeWine did what he did, but I think we can have both public health and democracy,” Mr. Klain said.
“I just think we have to make sure we’re doing these things the right way,” he continued. “The fact that the court ordered him not to do this, and he didn’t appeal that order [was] a little concerning.”
Mr. DeWine said late Monday that Amy Acton, who heads the Ohio Department of Health, was ordering the polls closed as part of a health emergency.
That announcement came after Franklin County Judge Richard Frye had turned aside a request to delay in-person voting in the March 17 primary at the behest of Mr. DeWine.
The governor had acknowledged earlier in the day that he couldn’t unilaterally move the election and that he hoped for a favorable ruling from a judge.
Dr. Acton’s order said she had authority under state code to “make special orders … for preventing the spread of contagious or infectious diseases.”
Mr. Biden has been comfortably leading Sen. Bernard Sanders of Vermont in public polling on Ohio, as well as in Arizona, Florida and Illinois. Those three states are pressing forward with their presidential primaries on Tuesday.
A delay in voting in Ohio, coupled with the news that states like Georgia and Louisiana have postponed their primaries that were supposed to happen in the coming weeks, adds additional uncertainty to a race Mr. Biden is leading.
The developments could give Mr. Sanders an incentive to hang around in the race longer than he might otherwise.
After Sunday’s debate, Mr. Sanders said it was a valid question as to whether Tuesday’s primaries should be postponed.
“I’m thinking about some of the elderly people sitting behind the desks, registering people, doing all that stuff,” Mr. Sanders said on CNN. “Does that make a lot of sense? [I’m] not sure that it does.”
• David Sherfinski can be reached at dsherfinski@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.