Democrats drop lawsuit aimed at keeping scandalized GOP Rep. Blake Farenthold on ballot
WASHINGTON -- Seeking maximum pain from the collapse of Rep. Blake Farenthold's career in Congress, Texas Democrats sued Wednesday to force Republicans to keep his name on the ballot.
Within hours, they dropped the effort.
Republicans were eager to remove the Corpus Christi lawmaker, beset by allegations of sexual harassment and abusive behavior in his office. He announced last week that he would not seek a fifth term.
But the decision came three days after the deadline. He didn't formally ask the state GOP to keep his name off the ballot until day four. And Texas election law provides no mechanism for a candidate who files lawfully and on time to withdraw from the March primary ballot.
Even so, on Tuesday, the Texas GOP asked a court in Austin for permission to keep his name off the ballot. The secretary of state's office — run by a Republican appointed by Gov. Greg Abbott — argued that doing so would be illegal, but acknowledged it has no way to force a political party to submit an accurate list of candidates who followed the rules and qualified for spots on the ballot.
Read more: https://www.dallasnews.com/news/politics/2017/12/20/no-insist-democrats-sue-keep-scandalized-gop-rep-blake-farenthold-ballot
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