HIAWATHA — Former Cedar Rapids Mayor Ron Corbett will fight to get back on the ballot in hopes of continuing his Republican primary challenge against Gov. Kim Reynolds, he said during a news conference on Wednesday.
Corbett has filed an appeal in Polk County District Court challenging Tuesday’s split-ruling by a three-member state panel that removed him from the ballot for the June 5 primary because he was eight signatures short of the petition requirement.
“We are appealing all of the legal signatures including the crossed out names that should be counted in the total, and if they rule in our favor we will have enough signatures and be back on the ballot,” he said.
The ruling dropped Corbett to 3,997 signatures, just below the 4,005 requirement. Corbett’s legal team has submitted about 70 names in the appeal they feel should be counted, he said.
Panel members Paul Pate, the Republican Secretary of State and former Cedar Rapids mayor, and Republican State Auditor Mary Mosiman ruled crossed out signatures should not be counted in the total and discarded other signatures where people’s counties or cities were misidentified.
State Attorney General Tom Miller, a Democrat, voted in favor of Corbett not wanting to make a decision that would remove a legitimate candidate like Corbett from the ballot given the importance of gubernatorial races in Iowa.
Corbett said if the judge rules against him his campaign is over and he will not run as an independent.
“If the judge rules against us, I will accept that ruling,” Corbett said. “But, I want to see some clarity on this issues because I saw a lot of confusion yesterday among panel members, and when the only lawyer on the panel sided with us, I think we have a good case.”
While some have criticized Corbett and his campaign staff for failing to secure enough of a buffer to account for any signature discrepancies, Corbett laid the blame on the “establishment” of his own party, criticizing the “donor class, special interest and the establishment” behind Reynolds.
Corbett said he ran into obstacles on the campaign trail getting signatures. For example, he was forbid from collecting signatures at a Republican event in Council Bluffs where Vice President Mike Pence was speaking, he said.
“I don’t think it would have mattered if I had 150 more, 500 more, 1,000 more, or 5,000 more,” Corbett said. “You see they’ve been out to get me since I announced. They would have found another tactic if it wasn’t throwing me off the ballot to knock my campaign.”
Corbett went into campaign mode during the news conference railing against Reynolds for “mismanaging the budget,” which he said has hurt K-12, higher education and health care. That’s why he is fighting to continue his campaign, he said.
While Reynolds in a statement on Tuesday thanked Corbett for his “commitment and service to the people of Iowa” and called for party unity, on Wednesday her team refocused on her own campaign when asked for comment about Corbett appealing and his criticisms.
“We are focused on our own campaign,” said Pat Garrett, campaign spokesman. “We’re proud of the support we’ve earned, including nearly 10,000 signatures from all 99 counties and over 4,000 county chairs. We look forward to expanding this unprecedented grass roots support around the Governor’s efforts to build a better Iowa.”
Corbett said he anticipates a ruling sometime between Wednesday and Friday of next week. It would give county auditors plenty of time to put him back on the ballot before early voting begins in late April, 45 days before the primary.
Corbett said he is paying for the appeal, which he estimates will cost $8,000 to $12,000 out of his campaign contributions, of which he estimated he has $350,000 to $375,000 left.
Corbett said he was encouraged to appeal by legal experts, who contacted him with possible strategies, campaign supporters, and key donors, who he contacted for permission to use campaign funds on legal fees.
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