Thursday, June 14, 2012
Nina Hayden files suit to get back on the ballot in Pinellas County
Posted by Mitch Perry on Thu, Jun 14, 2012 at 4:25 PM
In Tallahassee today, an attorney for Hayden went before a judge to fight for her return to the ballot. The error in question involved the person who notarized her qualifying form; the notary failed to sign that form.
Hayden was running against fellow attorney Jessica Ehrlich for the Democratic nomination for Congress in FL-13. The winner will face Republican Bill Young in the fall.
She had been running a very active campaign, and believed she could win the race because of local support that she has built in the community over the past four years. Hayden ran and won her bid for Pinellas school board in 2008, and lost a 2010 state Senate race to Jack Latvala in the district that includes portions of both Pinellas and Hillsborough County.
But she trailed Ehrlich significantly in fundraising, and there's no question that Washington D.C. Democrats with money are backing Ehrlich. Last month House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer appeared with Ehrlich at an event in her St. Petersburg campaign office.
But all that became academic when Hayden did not appear on the state's Division of Elections website on Monday, the first business day after the paperwork deadline had elapsed.
Hayden has been incommunicado all week since the news came out on Monday that she had been disqualified. She did not return CL's calls or email. This afternoon a brief press release was issued by the law firm that is representing her in her claim, Tampa-based Carlton Fields.
The Democratic primary takes place on August 14.
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