A Polk County judge has upheld a decision that removes Libertarian congressional candidate Marco Battaglia from Iowa’s November general election ballot, but Battaglia says he plans to appeal the ruling.
The case centered on Battaglia’s use of the name “Marco Battaglia” on his nomination papers instead of his legal name, Mark T. Andersen. Iowa’s State Objection Panel ruled in June that the discrepancy violated state election requirements, and the judge agreed, finding that candidates must use the name recognized by law when filing official election documents.
In the written ruling, the judge said the fact that Battaglia had used the same name in previous campaigns without challenge did not prevent state officials from enforcing the law this election cycle.
Battaglia criticized the decision and told Iowa Public Radio he expected the outcome. He also said he has no plans to withdraw from the race and intends to challenge the ruling through the appeals process.
The same judge also upheld the State Objection Panel’s decision allowing Libertarian Rick Stewart to remain on the ballot in Iowa’s 2nd Congressional District. Stewart had faced a challenge after using “Richard” on his nomination petitions and “Rick” on his affidavit of candidacy. The judge found Iowa law does not require those documents to use the exact same version of a candidate’s name.
The latest ruling follows another recent court decision that upheld the removal of Libertarian gubernatorial candidate Nicholas Gluba and lieutenant governor candidate Jules Cutler from the November ballot.
The legal battles could affect several closely watched Iowa races. Political analysts consider both the governor’s race and Iowa’s 3rd Congressional District to be highly competitive. In the 3rd District, Republican incumbent Zach Nunn is seeking reelection against Democratic State Sen. Sarah Trone Garriott. In the 2nd District, Democrat Lindsay James, Republican Joe Mitchell and independent candidate Dave Bushaw remain in the race alongside Stewart.
Source: Iowa Public Radio (IPR)
