On Wednesday, the Indiana Democratic Party officially will challenge the ballot petition signatures for the Senate campaign of U.S. Rep. Todd Young, R-Bloomington.
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To earn a spot on the primary election ballot, a Senate candidate must gather the signatures of at least 500 certified registered voters in each of Indiana’s nine congressional districts – Officials say the county clerk could only certify 501 signatures in the First District for Young.
Senate GOP Leader David Long says if Young’s signature count is short, it would be, in his words, “one of the most colossal mistakes” he’s ever seen. A state report showed Young listing 501 signatures in the district, which is in Northwest Indiana and is heavily Democratic.
But Democrats say they calculated that Young is three signatures shy. “So, all I can say is that I am amazed to see that he is in that situation and I am going to wait to see what is actually true or not before I make any more comments on it. We are all stunned”.
Meanwhile, Republican House Speaker Brian Bosma said that it is the job of political candidates to “be sure you beat the hurdle”.
Stutzman, of Howe, Ind., said in a statement that Young has been “more focused on garnering establishment support in DC and raising money from corporate interests than in meeting with Hoosiers and engaging in a meaningful grass-roots effort here in IN”.
Young is the front-runner for the GOP nomination but if his name is taken off the ballot, Stutzman will be the only remaining Republican candidate since Eric Holcomb quit the race to become Lieutenant Governor.
The Young campaign calls the challenge “blatant political gamesmanship”. “When it’s that close, you have to look at – this is state law, this is a race for the United States Senate and someone possibly not having done and met the minimum requirements required for this race”.
Young’s fate will be decided by the state’s bipartisan, four-member Election Commission, which will hold a hearing on the challenge on February 19.
His campaign says they are confident they have enough signatures to qualify. If that panel ties, or a majority votes that Young had a sufficient number of signatures, Young will stay on the ballot. Any decision could be challenged in court.
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