By Joe Vardon <\/p>\n
The Columbus Dispatch Wednesday January 8, 2014 6:00 AM <\/p>\n
Gov. John Kasich might have escaped a primary challenge from the right, but a federal judges ruling yesterday made it more likely that the Republican governor could face conservative competition come November. <\/p>\n
U.S. District Court Judge Michael H. Watson in Columbus granted a preliminary injunction against GOP-passed legislation that would have made it more difficult for minor-party candidates to reach the ballot. The ruling allows Libertarian gubernatorial candidate Charlie Earl to be in the November race when Kasich seeks re-election. <\/p>\n
Senate Bill 193, passed two months ago by Republican legislators and signed hours later by Kasich, would have blocked all minor parties from having a primary on May 5 and significantly raised the number of signatures needed for a minor-party candidate such as Earl to reach the ballot. <\/p>\n
The law was dubbed by critics as the John Kasich Re-Election Protection Act, based on perceptions that he had angered conservatives over policies such as Medicaid expansion and that some conservatives would drift toward Earl come Nov. 4. <\/p>\n
Kasich won election in 2010 by 2 percentage points (roughly 77,000 votes), and likely Democratic nominee Ed FitzGerald works in Democrat-rich Cleveland, so a siphoning of votes in either direction could make a difference. <\/p>\n
Because the law would have gone into effect on Feb. 5 the filing deadline for all primary candidates Watson ruled that it would violate minor-party candidates constitutional rights, and he stopped its immediate implementation. <\/p>\n
Earl said of its passage: It was intentional, and it was ludicrous, and the court saw through it. <\/p>\n
In his decision issued yesterday, Watson wrote that the Ohio legislature moved the proverbial goal post in the midst of the game. <\/p>\n
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Go here to see the original: <\/p>\n
Ruling opens path for Libertarian challenger to Kasich<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" By Joe Vardon The Columbus Dispatch Wednesday January 8, 2014 6:00 AM Gov. John Kasich might have escaped a primary challenge from the right, but a federal judges ruling yesterday made it more likely that the Republican governor could face conservative competition come November. U.S Continue reading