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Ballot challenge looms for Lingenfelter

After making a late push to run in the 8th Congressional District, it looks like independent Tom Lingenfelter will have to prove in court that he deserves to be on the ballot.

A Bucks County lawyer is preparing to file a ballot challenge against Lingenfelter, a perennial candidate who has mounted underdog runs for the seat twice before, in addition to previous statewide runs. The lawyer, Jordan Yeager, confirmed that the challenge is coming, but declined to identify his clients.

The challenge seeking to keep Lingenfelter off the ballot had not yet been filed early Wednesday morning. But as word of it bounced around local political circles Tuesday, some eyebrows were raised by the fact that Yeager is running point on the challenge. Though not a committeeman, Yeager has been active in the local Democratic Party for years, and incumbent Democrat Patrick Murphy would stand to benefit from having a conservative candidate like Lingenfelter in the race to pull votes from Republican Mike Fitzpatrick.

Yeager, who said he and his clients are “still going through the process” of completing their court filing, told pa2010.com on Tuesday: “I have been active in the Democratic Party. But I am also a layer who needs to pursue his clients’ interests.”

The identity of at least one of the plaintiffs will become public when the challenge is filed. Lingenfelter had not yet heard of any challenge Tuesday. But earlier this week, he said he was ready to fight for his spot on the ballot.

The looming challenge against Lingenfelter appears to be the first publicly disclosed ballot challenge this month, as a multitude of independent and third-party candidates seek ballot access for statewide and congressional races.

August 4, 2010 at 9:45 am

--Eric Katz

Tags: Mike Fitzpatrick, PA-8, Patrick Murphy, Tom Lingenfelter

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