What makes him a strong candidate if he can’t gather 400 signatures?
He had no arrests, or baggage. His failure to gather 400 valid signatures was sheer over-confidence and laziness.
Nygren was an incumbent member of the assembly. He gathered about 420 signatures, but 22 were thrown out, leaving him with 398. It was a stupid mistake. In a normal election, it would have been enough, but he should have known that the rats would challenge every name on the nomination petitions.
David VanderLeest, the Republican who faced Hansen had many personal issues that pretty much disqualified him from office, including unpaid taxes, domestic violence and questions about serious drug use.