Jim Wallace ballot status still in question

WISHTV.COM

Jim Shella

Updated: Feb 10, 2012 5:45 PM

Republican Jim Wallace affirmed his plan to run for governor today but there is no guarantee that his name will be on the ballot.

Jim Wallace showed up at the Statehouse this morning with a box full of petitions believing that he had the required number of signatures to be on the ballot.  “We’ve been focused literally for the past 48 hours on finding out what the discrepancy was,” said Wallace in reference to a shortfall of certified signatures, “and then addressing the discrepancy in time for the turn in deadline today.”

On Wednesday Wallace learned that he was 111 signatures short in the 7th Congressional District.  He considered a series of options. “(One) option would be to just kinda call it quits as to where we are right now,” he said at the time.

With TV ads already on the air and a million dollars of his own money invested in the campaign Wallace appeared to be at a dead end.  And the other Republican candidate refused a commitment to debate him.  “We’ll wait until the end of this week,” said Mike Pence on Wednesday, “and see what our primary election shapes up and then we’ll make a decision on that basis.”  Today Pence had no comment.

But while the Wallace campaign appeared to be back alive as he filed paperwork in the Secretary of State’s office, the look on the face of this campaign advisor was a giveaway.  After a review Wallace is still 14 signatures short.

He is likely to face a challenge.  If there is a challenge, and it can be filed by any voter, it goes to the state election commission.  That’s a body that usually errs on the side of inclusion but nothing is guaranteed.

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