Obama’s political career began with having competing candidates ruled ineligible in a 1996 State Senate election.
From Wikipedia: “Nominating petition challenges”
On December 26, 1995—the last day to file challenges—Barack Obama supporter Ron Davis filed objections to the legitimacy of the nominating petitions of state Sen. Palmer, and to those of Askia, Ewell and Lynch; a week later hearings began to determine whether their names would be on the ballot for the March 19 primary election.[27][28] Also challenging their rivals nominating petitions were: U.S. Senate candidate Dick Durbin,[29] and locally, two-term incumbent U.S. Rep. Bobby Rush, nine-term incumbent state Rep. Barbara Flynn Currie, incumbent 4th Ward Democratic committeeman Toni Preckwinkle, all three 5th Ward Republican committeeman candidates, and three of twelve Cook County Court Fifth Subcircuit judgeship candidates.[27]
The January 10, 1996 Hyde Park Herald reported that after conducting checks the previous week, the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners’ initial findings indicated that all four would-be opponents of Obama, including incumbent state Sen. Palmer, may not have the required number of valid nominating petition signatures.[30] On January 13, Obama received the endorsement of the Independent Voters of Illinois-Independent Precinct Organization (IVI-IPO).[31]
On January 17, 1996—thirty days after her surprise announcement that she was running for re-election—Palmer announced she was withdrawing her bid for re-election because she was left with only 561 valid signatures on her nominating petitions, 196 short of the required 757 valid signatures needed to earn a place on the ballot after almost two-thirds of the 1,580 signatures on her nominating petitions were found to be invalid.[28][32]
The Chicago Board of Election Commissioners had previously sustained an objection to the nominating petitions of Lynch because of insufficient valid signatures, and subsequently sustained objections to the nominating petitions of Askia—who was left with only 688 valid signatures on his nominating petitions, 69 short of the required 757 valid signatures after almost two-thirds of the 1,899 signatures on his nominating petitions were found to be invalid, and Ewell—who was left with only 671 valid signatures on his nominating petitions, 86 short of the required 757 valid signatures after almost half of the 1,286 signatures on his nominating petitions were found to be invalid.[28][32] Lynch and Ewell, in separate federal lawsuits, unsuccessfully sued the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners seeking to reverse its decision to remove their names from the ballot.[28][33]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Illinois_Senate_elections_of_Barack_Obama
The notable thing here is how sloppy Palmer’s solicitors were, especially in a heavily Amish district where getting enough valid signatures should have been a piece of cake. It leads me to think the Illegal’s solicitors might have been equally sloppy.
The notable thing here is how sloppy Palmer’s solicitors were, especially in a heavily Amish district where getting enough valid signatures should have been a piece of cake. It leads me to think the Illegal’s solicitors might have been equally sloppy.
The notable thing here is how sloppy Palmer’s solicitors were, especially in a heavily Amish district where getting enough valid signatures should have been a piece of cake. It leads me to think the Illegal’s solicitors might have been equally sloppy.