Florida appeals court examined Jones' changing party affiliation
An appeals court in Florida has allowed former health official Rebekah Jones to run in the House primaries as a Democrat, overturning a lower court's decision.
Jones, who is running for the House seat of Florida's 1st Congressional District, was removed from the ballot after a lower court ruled that she was not eligible to run due to a last-minute change in party affiliation.
Jones originally registered as a Democrat in April 2021, but then changed registration to unaffiliated in June. This was followed with a final flip-flop back to Democrat on her official Federal Election Commission paperwork in August.
The case centered around "whether the veracity of a duly qualified candidate’s sworn party affiliation statement under section 99.021 may be challenged and used as a basis for disqualification from the ballot," according to the appeals court.
"It cannot," the ruling stated.
Rebekah Jones was a regular guest on CNN’s since-canceled "Cuomo Prime Time."
From May 2020 to December 2020, Jones made at least nine separate on-air appearances on CNN shows, most often on "Cuomo Prime Time."
Former CNN star Chris Cuomo made Jones a semiregular on the show, speaking to her on at least five occasions. Other outlets, including MSNBC, Miami Herald, The Washington Post and NBC News helped build Jones’ profile, and she received an adoring profile in Cosmopolitan.