Corbett sues to get on June 5 GOP primary ballot

March 29, 2018

Mayors Ron Corbett of Cedar Rapids, Quentin Hart of Waterloo, Paul Soglin of Madison, Wisconsin, and Jim Throgmorton of Iowa City speak during a panel at Film Scene in Iowa City on Friday, Dec. 1, 2017. The mayors addressed issues including housing, transportation, and job creation and how their cities have worked to meet the needs of their residents. (Nick Rohlman/The Daily Iowan)

Corbett files lawsuit to appear on Republican gubernatorial ballot.

Republican candidate for governor Ron Corbett has filed a lawsuit to get back on the June 5 GOP primary ballot.

Corbett filed the suit after the State Objection Panel voted 2-1 to reject his campaign’s paperwork on Tuesday. Corbett fell eight names short of the 4,005 signatures required to be placed on the ballot.

Corbett’s attorneys argued that the crossed-off signatures that state officials found to be duplicates should still be counted, but the decision stood.

In a Wednesday press conference in Hiawatha, Corbett said the Republican establishment was plotting against his candidacy, posing what he called a “coach’s challenge.”

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“We are appealing all of the legal signatures, including the crossed-out names that should be counted in the total, and if they rule in our favor, we will have enough signatures and be back on the ballot,” he said at the hearing.

If granted, his would once again be pitted against Republican incumbent Gov. Kim Reynolds, whom Corbett has criticized on such campaign issues as school aid.

Corbett campaign manager Cory Crowley said Corbett hopes for a ruling sometime in the next two weeks. Time is short, because the deadline for the June 5 ballot looms.

— Madeleine Neal