March 13, 2016
Ohio Governor and Republican presidential candidate John Kasich has called on Marco Rubio to urge his supporters to drop a petition that would strike him from the ballot for the Pennsylvania Republican Primary on April 26.
The petition, filed in Commonwealth Court last month by University of Pennsylvania sophomore Nathaniel Rome, contends that Kasich lacks the requisite number of valid signatures to appear on the state's primary ballot.
At a March 9 court hearing, Kasich's lawyer, Lawrence Otter, acknowledged that his client's campaign did not obtain enough valid signatures to appear on the ballot, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Otter countered, however, that Rome's petition itself is moot because it was filed 13 minutes after a deadline to challenge nominating petitions in Pennsylvania.
On Sunday, Bloomberg Politics reported that Rob Nichols, Kasich's campaign spokesman, had called on Marco Rubio supporters – including Rome, who serves as chair of the Pennsylvania Students for Rubio network – to drop the challenge.
"Senator Rubio should tell his people to drop this suit and to have his super-PAC quit attacking John Kasich in Florida," Nichols said.
Prior to the court hearing, John Bravacos, Rome's lawyer, told PhillyVoice that his client was confident the petition would successfully demonstrate that Kasich lacked sufficient valid signatures. The timing of the petition's filing now complicates how the court system will proceed with the challenge. Bravacos' brother also serves as the chairman of Rubio's Pennsylvania campaign.
As a next step, Judge Bonnie Leadbetter said the case may be sent to a three-judge panel, with deadlines for additional briefs on Monday and Wednesday.
