Rice's Reaction to Demcratic Panel's Decision
Mary Malaszek
Below is Andrew Rice's Statement Regarding Decision by the DemocraticStateCentralCommittee
ThirdCongressionalDistrictConventionDisputeHearing Held on May 28th. A statement by Rice's Attorny will be sent under separate cover.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 2, 2026
Contact: Mary Malaszek 617-869-4037 maryma...@gmail.com
Andrew Rice Cell/Text: (475) 254-6165 andrewr...@riceforct.com
Rice Campaign Responds to Panel’s Dismissal of Convention Challenge
NEW HAVEN, Conn. — A Connecticut Democratic Party dispute resolution panel has dismissed Andrew Rice’s challenge to the results of the May 11 Third Congressional District nominating convention, declining to overturn the outcome or grant him access to the primary ballot. At the May 28th hearing Andrew was represented by Alexander T. Taubes, Esq.
Summary of the Decision
The panel found that the convention was marked by several procedural flaws but concluded those flaws were not sufficient to invalidate the result. Reviewers identified four issues that warranted examination: the failure to formally adopt convention rules, the voting method used, the absence of a clearly announced period for delegates to change their votes, and the handling of points of order raised from the floor.
While the panel acknowledged that some of what occurred was imperfect or unfair in practice, it determined that most of those actions did not clearly violate the governing rules or materially alter the convention process. Because Rice did not establish that the result was seriously in doubt — or that he would have reached the 15% threshold required for ballot access absent the flaws — the panel dismissed the complaint.
At the May 11 convention, Rep. Rosa DeLauro received 294 votes (87%) to Rice’s 45 votes (13%). A candidate needed 15% of the vote to qualify for the primary ballot.
Statement from Andrew Rice
“The decision was disappointing but not shocking.
“The Democratic Party would rather disenfranchise working and middle class voters than allow their incumbent’s record to stand for itself. If the Party spent as much time fighting Trump as they did fighting people like me, we wouldn’t have Trump. The Democratic Party once again proves it is no different from the Republican Party, and it has ceded any standing to challenge the SAVE Act. The Party’s contempt for democracy is stunning and further shows why people have been abandoning it in droves.
“It’s also tragic and insulting that yesterday the Democratic Party stood at Pride events calling for the elevation of those in the LGBTQ+ community while simultaneously denying an openly gay man ballot access — access that would have made me the first openly gay man to appear on a federal ballot in Connecticut.
“If the Democratic Party is not going to give people a choice, people should not give the Democratic Party their vote. Otherwise, we enable their corruption.”
Background
Rice contested the convention through the party’s dispute resolution process, arguing that procedural errors should either void the results or qualify him for the primary ballot. A hearing on the challenge was held May 28 via Zoom before a panel of Democratic State Central Committee members from outside the Third Congressional District.
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