Biden's Democratic challengers hit ballot access roadblocks

President Joe Biden's Democratic primary challengers are struggling to get on the ballots in Florida, Tennessee, North Carolina and Massachusetts.

Not only are many of President Joe Biden's most high-profile Democratic challengers having difficulty making a dent in national polling, but they're also running into a major snafu in their efforts to replace him: getting onto state ballots in the first place.

Rep. Dean Phillips, author Marianne Williamson and progressive commentator Cenk Uygur have encountered roadblocks in Florida, Tennessee, North Carolina and Massachusetts -- which they allege without evidence have been placed, at least in part, by the national Democratic Party, or even the president himself as part of a broader conspiracy between the "party elites" and state chapters to bend the process in Biden's favor.

Both state and national groups, for their part, unequivocally deny the allegation. The Democratic National Committee has been clear in its support for the incumbent, as iscustomary, since before Biden formally launched his re-election bid. State parties have also noted the "standard practice" of their decision to solely include the incumbent on their ballots, citing the move during previous election cycles.

"The DNC does not oversee ballot access. Ballot access is determined through state parties and state law. In order to appear on a ballot, a campaign must complete state-specific requirements determined by those bodies," a DNC aide said in a statement to ABC News in response to the challenging campaigns' allegations.

The aide noted that the party offers resources and guidance to all Democratic primary candidates and "continues to be available as a resource to them on these matters."