Legislative Dems keep one candidate, lose another

Rep. Kristin Boggs can run in the primary election as a write-in candidate, but a Democrat in a competitive Franklin County Senate district is disqualified because of petition problems, Secretary of State Jon Husted has ruled.

Husted broke three 2-2 party-line tie votes by the Franklin County Board of Elections earlier this month. He also ruled that James Robinson, who has switched parties multiple times and is currently a Republican, does not qualify to run for Franklin County auditor as a Democrat.

That leaves Michael Stinziano, a member of Columbus City Council who wants to challenge Auditor Clarence Mingo in November, without a Democratic primary opponent. He accused the county Republican Party of pushing Robinson’s candidacy, which GOP leaders deny.

Robinson fell short of the 50 signatures needed to qualify when four signatures were declared to be invalid because addresses did not match voter rolls.

Husted sided with Democrats in allowing Boggs to seek re-election in the 18th House District, which includes Bexley, Franklinton, German Village, Grandview Heights and the Ohio State University area.

However, Nathan Dowds, who was seeking to run in the 3rd Senate District in eastern Franklin County, did not get to the 50-signature threshold after Husted agreed with Republicans that five signatures should not be counted.

Boggs, a Democrat from Columbus, filed petition forms Feb. 1, but withdrew her candidacy Feb. 13 after she was informed that she forgot to sign the top of some of her petitions, making them invalid.

Boggs then filed to run as a write-in candidate, but Republicans on the county Board of Elections voted to block her.

Husted said the withdrawal and filing as a write-in was proper and met the required deadlines.

However, Husted said he was concerned that the county board gave Boggs preferential treatment by informing her that her petitions had problems, allowing her to withdraw before the board voted to certify her candidacy.

“Such action is unfair to other prospective candidates who might have been in the same situation,” Husted wrote. “The board’s policy should treat all candidates similarly, either affording all candidates an opportunity to timely withdraw before formal board action, or none of them.”

Dowds came up two signatures short after county elections officials found that on one petition, the person who circulated it indicated witnessing five signatures, but there were six names on the sheet. Dowds mistakenly added the sixth name, which Republicans said invalidated the whole petition form. Husted agreed.