Independent Senate candidate seeks return to ballot

Herb Hoffman’s (I) Senate candidacy appears to be in serious jeopardy after the Maine Supreme Court upheld a challenge from the state Democratic Party arguing that the campaign had not collected enough valid signatures to earn a spot on November’s ballot.

The ruling, handed down Monday, found Hoffman in violation of state election rules for claiming to have witnessed the collection of signatures that were obtained by campaign surrogates.

{mosads}In a statement issued following the decision, the Maine Democratic Party hailed it as a “victory for the rule of law.”

But Hoffman promised to continue operating his campaign, and said that he was exploring the possibility of continuing the case in federal court.

“This decision of the court not only denied me my rights to ballot access, but denied the constitutional rights of all the voters who freely exercised their right to petition their government,” he said.

Hoffman hopes to square off against incumbent Sen. Susan Collins (R) and Rep. Tom Allen (D) in the fall. He figures to take more votes from Allen, as he describes himself as a “disillusioned Democrat."