Trump campaign attempted to kick Republican rivals off ballot in Illinois

The Guardian ^ | 01/14/2016 | Ben Jacobs

[GIdget2004]

Donald Trump's campaign tried to get his rival Republicans kicked off the ballot in Illinois – but the attempt failed when his state chair failed to bring duplicate copies of the required forms.

The Guardian has learned that on Wednesday, the last day for candidates to object to signatures submitted by rival campaigns to get on the ballot, chair Kent Gray showed up at the Illinois board of elections a few minutes before it closed. Illinois has some of the toughest ballot access laws in the country, and qualifying for the ballot requires gathering a different number of signatures in each of the state's 18 congressional districts. Candidates often stumble trying to fulfill the state's requirements....

State politicians have long had a "gentleman's agreement" that candidates would not attempt to contest each other's signatures and throw each other off the ballot. But challenging petition signatures as a form of political chicanery in the Land of Lincoln has a long history. Barack Obama first won election to the state senate in 1996 by successfully challenging the signatures of his incumbent opponent and getting her removed from the ballot.

It had been widely reported that the campaign of Governor John Kasich of Ohio, a vocal Trump critic, had problems gathering signatures in Illinois, and representatives of Kasich, along with the campaigns of Florida senator Marco Rubio and neurosurgeon Ben Carson, were monitoring for any objections from rival camps. It seemed that they had dodged a bullet until Gray walked in attempting to object to a number of candidates on the grounds that some of their signatures were invalid, although exactly who he focused on is unclear.

But Illinois law requires that someone objecting to a candidate's nominating papers bring both the original and two duplicates. Gray only brought the original.

[jmaroneps37]

This is how the rules of the game go. Trump didn’t make them up .

[GrouchoTex]

You assume I have picked a candidate.
Their are probably 2 I can live with, neither are perfect.
I have all the way until the SEC primary to make up my mind, and that is about 6 weeks from now.

Sleazy politics is what has turned people off.
Elections have 50% or less turnout.

I am not trying to stand on any legal leg.
Yes, it is sleazy (and against campaign laws) to turn in false documents.

It is sleazy to challenge it minutes before the deadline.

As for “no wonder you guys always lose”

Having 3 out of the last 5 presidents I have supported in general election the last 36 years win, I’d hardly say that we always lose.
Some have let me down, (read my lips, etc.) others will again.

Sleazy is still sleazy, whether it’s your guy, my guy or their guy.

I am not sure why, but ethical questions are in play, and people want to ignore because it’s “their” candidate.

Nixon and Clinton and Obama were “win at any cost” candidates.

I don’t believe Carter, Reagan, Bush, and W were win at any cost candidates, unless someone can show me otherwise.

[BobL]

Tag line.