Aug. 18--York lawyer Marakay Rogers has dropped out as a Libertarian candidate for governor, in response to legal challenges to her nominating petition signatures.
She made her decision Tuesday afternoon. She said a lawyer who was conducting the challenges, Ron Hicks Jr., of Pittsburgh, told her and her running mates for U.S. Senator and lieutenant governor that if they didn't drop out, he would hold them responsible for the cost of conducting the challenges.
Rogers said she would have preferred to continue the fight, but her running mates were concerned they might be stuck for thousands of dollars. So she joined them in solidarity.
She said she felt forced out of the race because of the legal challenge.
Hicks said he's legally entitled under the state's election code to seek compensation from candidates whose petitions prove invalid. The money would cover expenses involved in seeking the appeal, such as man-hours and expert witnesses to examine signatures.
Hicks would identify his clients only as "the objectors." But Rogers alleges it was the state Republican Party, who worried she would take votes away from them in the November election.
Michael Barley, spokesman for the Pennsylvania Republican Party, said "we were supportive of the petition challenge."
Two other third-party gubernatorial candidates had already dropped out because of petition challenges: Green Party nominee Mel Packer and John Krupa, who purported to represent the tea party.
Posted By: Steve Williams
Wednesday, September 1st 2010 at 3:03PM
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