The Green Party’s presidential candidate is off the ballot in a big win for Pennsylvania Democrats

Democrats in Pennsylvania succeeded Thursday in bouncing Green Party presidential candidate Howie Hawkins from the Nov. 3 ballot.

That could prove critical in the race between President Donald Trump and Democratic nominee Joe Biden.

In 2016, Green Party candidate Jill Stein won almost 50,000 votes in Pennsylvania, and Trump ultimately won the state by just 44,000 votes, or less than 0.7% of the total.

Pennsylvania is again expected to be a critical battleground state in determining who wins the White House.

The state Supreme Court overruled Commonwealth Court Judge J. Andrew Crompton, who last week said Hawkins could stay on the ballot but removed his vice presidential running mate, Angela Walker.

The legal challenge had delayed the printing of mail ballots, which counties otherwise would have begun sending this week.

Now the scramble to do so begins. There is no one single ballot, and county elections officials have to finalize hundreds or even thousands of ballot designs.