COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) Lawyers sparred Tuesday over whether a Libertarian gubernatorial candidate in Ohio is qualified for the May ballot, a dispute whose outcome could affect Republican Gov. John Kasichs re-election bid.

Libertarian Charlie Earl has the potential to draw votes from Kasich as the governor faces a likely challenge from Democrat Ed FitzGerald this fall. Kasich has faced criticism from tea party activists and other conservatives within the GOP for some of his policy decisions, including backing Medicaid expansion and drilling tax increases.

Recent polls place Kasich ahead of FitzGerald, the Cuyahoga County executive in Cleveland, but the governors race in this closely-divided battleground state has a chance of being tight.

The protest seeking to disqualify Earl from the primary ballot was registered on behalf of Tyler King, a Libertarian Ohio voter.

Kings lawyer, Columbus attorney John Zeiger, argued Tuesday before hearing officer Bradley Smith, a former federal election commissioner, that Earl should be disqualified. He asserted that Democrats orchestrated the circulation of Earls petitions and provided monetary and legal help to the effort.

Capital University law professor Mark Brown, representing Earl, said that Ohio Republicans are trying to force Libertarians and other third parties from the ballot. Brown brought a successful federal legal challenge to the constitutionality of new ballot access rules passed by the Ohio Legislature and signed by Kasich in November, a bill Democrats pejoratively labeled the John Kasich Re-Election Protection Act.

Zeigers firm laid out the following claims through documents and testimony:

The Democratic law firm McTigue & McGinnis and employees of Strategy Network, a Democrat-affiliated consulting firm, received payments from an entity called Ohioans for Liberty to supervise, manage and organize signature gathering for Libertarian candidates, including Earl;

The bulk of Ohioans for Libertys funding came through an $828,000 contribution from the Ohio Democratic Party;

A leading professional petitioner who collected signatures for Earl identified herself elsewhere as a registered Democrat;

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Libertarian governor candidate challenged in Ohio