nullvalu
02-21-2008, 09:46 AM
http://video1.washingtontimes.com/dinan/2008/02/student_challenges_mccain_on_i.html
An undergraduate student at Indiana University says Sen. John McCain should be left off Indiana's May 6 primary ballot, arguing the Republican presidential frontrunner failed to get the needed signatures.
Thomas Cook, who runs the blog Blue Indiana, filed an official challenge today with the state election commission. Cook said he was monitoring the signatures for a gubernatorial race but also happened to notice McCain fell short in one congressional district of the 500 signatures required by state law from each district in order to get on the ballot.
Cook's challenge says McCain fell nine votes short in the fourth congressional district, arguably the most Republican in the state.
"It's indicative, I think, of a complete failure on the part of John McCain's national infrastructure, and the incompetence of his national campaign," Cook said in a phone interview.
He said that given Republicans who back McCain control the top offices in state government, he doesn't doubt that they will find a way to keep McCain on the ballot, but said it's a black mark against the eventual Republican nominee anyway.
Indiana has 57 delegates to the Republican nominative convention, of which 27 are up for selection in the winner-take-all primary in May. Clearly if McCain were left off the ballot it would not be a major hurdle to his securing the nomination, but it could be a black eye. Still, the bigger black eye might come if he gets on the ballot anyway, and Democrats make an issue of it.
McCain's campaign didn't immediately return a call about the ballot situation.
Update/6:54 p.m.: The McCain camp says they're still in good shape, the challenge is premature and by the time all the counties report their signatures they'll have met the bar.
"It's just a lag time," said spokesman Brian Rogers.
He said they report their signatures to the counties, which tally them and send them on to the state. That process won't be completed until Friday.
"Basically they're looking at an incomplete count of signatures, and we're well over the 500 required in that congressional district," Rogers said.
It will be interesting to see how this plays out. Here's a link to the blogger who initially broke the story: http://blueindiana.net/showDiary.do?diaryId=2020
An undergraduate student at Indiana University says Sen. John McCain should be left off Indiana's May 6 primary ballot, arguing the Republican presidential frontrunner failed to get the needed signatures.
Thomas Cook, who runs the blog Blue Indiana, filed an official challenge today with the state election commission. Cook said he was monitoring the signatures for a gubernatorial race but also happened to notice McCain fell short in one congressional district of the 500 signatures required by state law from each district in order to get on the ballot.
Cook's challenge says McCain fell nine votes short in the fourth congressional district, arguably the most Republican in the state.
"It's indicative, I think, of a complete failure on the part of John McCain's national infrastructure, and the incompetence of his national campaign," Cook said in a phone interview.
He said that given Republicans who back McCain control the top offices in state government, he doesn't doubt that they will find a way to keep McCain on the ballot, but said it's a black mark against the eventual Republican nominee anyway.
Indiana has 57 delegates to the Republican nominative convention, of which 27 are up for selection in the winner-take-all primary in May. Clearly if McCain were left off the ballot it would not be a major hurdle to his securing the nomination, but it could be a black eye. Still, the bigger black eye might come if he gets on the ballot anyway, and Democrats make an issue of it.
McCain's campaign didn't immediately return a call about the ballot situation.
Update/6:54 p.m.: The McCain camp says they're still in good shape, the challenge is premature and by the time all the counties report their signatures they'll have met the bar.
"It's just a lag time," said spokesman Brian Rogers.
He said they report their signatures to the counties, which tally them and send them on to the state. That process won't be completed until Friday.
"Basically they're looking at an incomplete count of signatures, and we're well over the 500 required in that congressional district," Rogers said.
It will be interesting to see how this plays out. Here's a link to the blogger who initially broke the story: http://blueindiana.net/showDiary.do?diaryId=2020