Elections Panel Officially Removes McCotter From Ballot

By Rick Pluta

It was a foregone conclusion, but a state elections panel has officially booted Congressman Thad McCotter from the August primary ballot.

The five-term Southeast Michigan Republican acknowledges his campaign did not gather enough legitimate petition signatures to qualify for the ballot. The campaign turned in hundreds of faked, photo-copied signatures, according to the state Bureau of Elections.

Chris Thomas, the state elections director, says the Board of State Canvassers agreed with the agency’s finding.

“They’ve endorsed that by passing a motion finding that Congressman McCotter filed insufficient petitions and will not appear on the ballot,” he says.

McCotter’s petitions will now be turned over to the state attorney general’s office as part of a criminal fraud investigation.

In a related development, a group of G.O.P. leaders from McCotter’s 11th Congressional District is trying to come up with a consensus write-in candidate to face a Tea Party candidate who qualified for the primary ballot.