Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders will not challenge the results of Arizona's problematic presidential primary, an attorney for his campaign told The Associated Press on Friday.
The campaign had considered contesting the results of the March 22 election because of serious problems in the state's largest county, including hourslong lines and the rejection of about 20,000 provisional ballots. That amounted to about 80 percent of those cast, mainly by registered independents not allowed to vote in the state's closed primary.
"We concluded that an election contest is too narrow and restricting a venue to address the widespread problems in Maricopa County that occurred on Election Day and disenfranchised tens of thousands of Arizona voters," attorney Chris Sautter said.
The campaign determined that a challenge, which could at best add one or two Democratic delegates to Sanders' tally, did not justify the cost given that it wouldn't address the serious Election Day issues. Sautter is instead considering a federal lawsuit challenging Maricopa County's election practices, possibly partnering with other concerned groups.
The county has acknowledged it made mistakes in how it operated the election by dramatically cutting the number of polling places and widely underestimating Election Day turnout.
The Department of Justice has launched an inquiry into whether the county violated voting rights laws.
Hillary Clinton won Arizona's Democratic primary and the majority of the delegates to the national convention.
The results of the election were certified Monday, and any legal challenge must be filed by close of business Friday.
