Races for state treasurer, the Legislature and Congress could be reshaped by dozens of challenges filed Thursday and aimed at having candidates knocked off the April 22 primary ballot. Roughly 60 ballot challenges were received in Commonwealth Court before the 5 p.m. deadline, and among the targets were two of the four Democrats competing for state treasurer.
Dennis Morrison-Wesley and state Rep. Jennifer Mann, D-Lehigh, were accused of lacking at least 100 signatures from five different counties. If they are ruled ineligible, it would narrow the field to John F. Cordisco and Rob McCord, whose campaign manager, John D. Lisko, filed both challenges.
A challenge was filed against the candidacy of William M. Russell, the lone Republican seeking to unseat longtime U.S. Rep. John Murtha. Murtha has no opponent in the Democratic primary.
A challenge was also filed against Joseph V. Montone, who is running in the Republican primary for a seat held by U.S. Rep. Patrick J. Murphy, D-Pa.
There also were petition challenges to at least five incumbent state lawmakers: Rep. Frank Andrews Shimkus, D-Lackawanna; Rep. Mauree A. Gingrich, R-Lebanon; Rep. Harold James, D-Philadelphia; Rep. Thomas W. Blackwell IV, D-Philadelphia; and Rep. Tony Payton Jr., D-Philadelphia.
The challenge to Blackwell asserted that only 121 of his 756 signatures are valid, and that the petition had "full pages replete with names listed in order of address, not missing a single Democratic voter -- and each in the same handwriting."
Gingrich said she was not surprised at the challenge launched by primary opponent Russ Diamond and vowed to defend her petitions.
The challenge to Payton alleges that 1,187 of his 1,352 signatures are invalid, citing at least one signatory who is now dead and the improper use of "ditto" marks. Three hundred valid signatures are required.
Shimkus' opponent charged that the home address in Scranton listed on Shimkus' filing papers was a vacant house, but Shimkus said he spends two or three nights a week there.
A three-man team of supporters of Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul worked busily in the hallway outside the filing office Thursday to put finishing touches on challenges to 10 people running for GOP delegate.
A myriad of possible objections has created a "gotcha mentality" as candidates and campaign strategists look for ways to weed out the opposition, said Lawrence Tabas, a leading Republican election lawyer in Pennsylvania.
Hearings were scheduled to begin Monday and are expected to last several weeks.