The Virginia Republican Party announced Thursday that it is filing a lawsuit to remove Democratic incumbent Democratic candidate Terry McAuliffe from the ballot for November, alleging that it did not sign a candidacy statement form.
According to the state GOP, the candidacy statement document includes the signatures of McAuliffe’s press secretary, Renzo Olivari, and Assistant Christian Radden, who confirm that they witnessed McAuliffe signing the form, but does not include the candidate’s signature.
Virginia GOP President Rich Anderson said in a statement that McAuliffe’s lack of signature “endangers the integrity of our election in Virginia.”
“No amount of political favors and beatings can refute the fact that McAuliffe is a fraudulent candidate and cannot be the next governor of Virginia,” Anderson said.
McAuliffe’s communications director dismissed the lawsuit as a “desperate Trump move.”
“Our campaign presented the necessary paperwork,” Christina Freundlich said he said in a tweet.
“This is nothing more than a desperate Trump Republican Virginia Party move to deprive voters of the election in this election because Terry is constantly leading the polls.”
The lawsuit comes hours after a new Christopher Newport University poll showed Virginia Democrats up and down the top Republicans in their respective careers.
While it’s unclear what will happen to the Republican Party’s lawsuit, the question about paperwork wouldn’t be the first time a filing error has affected a race in Virginia. In 2019, the campaign of Dr. Nick Freitas (R) was unable to submit two forms to the state election office in a timely manner, prompting Freitas to present himself in writing. Finally, he won with more than 50% of the vote.
Republicans across the country have provoked a backlash since the 2020 election for their efforts to rewrite election laws, moves that critics say are an attempt to sow doubts about the election process after the previous ones. President Trump
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Virginia GOP gubernatorial candidate Glenn Youngkin created a “Working Group on Electoral Integrity” in February before winning the Republican nomination for governor. He said the working group is designed to establish legal voting rules in electoral processes.