Updated May 7, 2020 - Politics & Policy

N.Y. Democratic primary is back on after being canceled over coronavirus

In this image, a woman wears a face shield

A woman walks down 65th Street in New York City, May 5. Photo: Bryan Thomas/Getty Images

New York state's Democratic presidential primary will again be held on June 23, after a federal district judge reinstated the contest on Tuesday.

The latest: New York Attorney General Letita James requested that Manhattan's federal appeals court review the judge's order on Wednesday, Bloomberg reports.

Flashback: New York's Board of Elections canceled the primary in late April after deciding that the risk of spreading the coronavirus for an election with only one contender — former Vice President Joe Biden — was too great.

  • Former 2020 candidate Andrew Yang promptly filed a lawsuit in response to the decision.
  • Sen. Bernie Sanders' campaign and supporters also lobbied against New York canceling its primary.

The big picture: Roughly a dozen states have postponed primaries in response to the pandemic or expanded mail-in voting options that follow social distancing guidelines.

Go deeper: All the states that have delayed their primary elections

Go deeper