Ex-con Traficant disqualified by Ohio elections officials in bid for congressional combeack Former Ohio Rep. James Traficant has been disqualified in his bid to return to Congress after seven years in prison.
Political adviser Linda Kovachik says elections officials in Trumbull County ruled Tuesday that Traficant was short of the number of petition signatures required to get on the fall ballot.
She says Traficant plans to appeal. Elections board officials did not immediately return a call seeking comment.
Traficant was hoping to run as an independent in his Youngstown-area home turf against Democratic Rep. Tim Ryan.
Traficant represented the region in Congress as a Democrat for nearly two decades. He left federal prison in September after serving time for corruption.