Cruz camp pushing to oust Kasich from Montana ballot

Associated Press

HELENA, Mont.

Ted Cruz’s presidential campaign is trying to knock opponent John Kasich off Montana’s primary by questioning signatures the Ohio governor’s campaign submitted to qualify for the ballot – another subplot in the unfolding political drama to derail Donald Trump’s presidential bid.

Emails obtained by The Associated Press show Cruz campaign officials have raised questions about the 622 signatures submitted by the Kasich campaign. A minimum of 500 valid signatures is required for a presidential candidate to qualify for the Montana ballot.

The Cruz campaign asserts Kasich’s petition contains signatures with invalid notaries, improper dates, mismatched phone numbers and illegible names, among other potential discrepancies.

“Because John Kasich’s campaign filed only 622 signatures, and the minimum number of signatures required under Montana law is 500, there is a reasonable probability that material defects with his petitions reduce the number of valid signatures below the required minimum,” the campaign said, “and John Kasich is therefore not eligible for placement on the ballot.”

As of Wednesday, the campaign had not filed a legal challenge.

Kasich supporters dismissed the claims.

“The validity and the integrity of the signatures I can personally attest to. I personally collected the majority of them, and I personally submitted them to the county elections office,” said Greg Frank, a co-chair of the Kasich campaign in Montana.

Montana Secretary of State Linda McCulloch said Kasich’s name will remain on the June 7 ballot unless a judge orders otherwise.