Judge Nixes Lawsuit Against Keyser's GOP Ballot Spot
DENVER (AP) - A judge has dismissed a lawsuit that sought to remove Jon Keyser from Colorado's Republican U.S. Senate primary.
District Judge Morris Hoffman said Tuesday the suit was filed too late. The primary is June 28, and overseas ballots have been sent out. Local mail ballots will be sent starting June 6.
The Denver Post reports the plaintiffs argued, in part, that Keyser should be disqualified because his campaign submitted voter petitions marred by forgeries.
The suit filed on behalf of three voters said those petitions invalidated dozens of signatures that put Keyser above the 1,500-signature qualification threshold in the Denver-area 1st Congressional District.
Secretary of State Wayne Williams' office insisted it followed the law in placing Keyser on the ballot.
Williams at first found that Keyser didn't get enough signatures. He reversed that finding after Keyser obtained a court order saying he'd "substantially" met qualification rules.
It was the latest legal challenge involving Keyser and other candidates' petition-driven efforts to get 1,500 signatures in each of Colorado's seven congressional districts to make the primary. The challenges often have overshadowed the campaign.
Keyser squares off against El Paso County Commissioner Darryl Glenn and businessmen Robert Blaha of Colorado Springs, Ryan Frazier of Aurora and Jack Graham of Fort Collins.
The primary winner will face Democratic Sen. Michael Bennet in November.
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