pa2010.com Staff | pa2010
For the second time this cycle, Joe Sestak is trying to keep a potential spoiler candidate out of the electoral picture.
The Democratic Senate candidate on Monday filed a ballot challenge against Mel Packer, the Green Party candidate running against him and Republican Pat Toomey. The lawsuit in Commonwealth Court seeks to have Packer’s nominating petitions set aside.
As a liberal alternative to Sestak, Packer could presumably pull votes away from the Democrat in a close race against Toomey. Earlier this year, Sestak successfully kept businessman Joe Vodvarka off the primary ballot against Arlen Specter. In both cases, Sestak himself was the petitioner bringing the case. Politicians far more often put some public distance between themselves and the ballot challenge by having a supporter file on their behalf.
Packer could not immediately be reached for comment late Monday afternoon.
The original version of the story appears here: http://www.pa2010.com/2010/08/sestak-seeks-to-keep-green-party-candidate-off-the-ballot/
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