MOBILE, Ala. (AP) - The top Republican Party official in Mobile County wants a GOP legislative candidate disqualified, saying he lives on the wrong side of the street to run for an open House seat.
The 21-member candidate committee of the Alabama Republican Party has scheduled a hearing for Friday to determine whether to oust businessman Chris McNeil from the GOP primary race in House District 102. The decision could hinge on a single inch of McNeil’s property line, al.com reported (https://bit.ly/1fkXmQs).
The candidate’s home sits on a Mobile County road that serves as the dividing line between two districts. A residency challenge filed by Terry Lathan, chairwoman of the Mobile County GOP, says McNeil’s property on the south side of the street lies outside the district he’s running to represent.
McNeil, however, contends his property extends an inch into District 102, making him a legal resident and eligible to run.
Alabama Republican Party Chairman Bill Armistead said the committee will vote immediately after hearing the challenge to McNeil’s candidacy Friday in Birmingham. If McNeil gets disqualified, it will cause complications for the June 3 primary election.
Armistead said it’s too late to remove McNeil’s name from the ballot. There are two other candidates - nursery farmer Jack Williams and constable Anthony Clark Banks - running in the GOP primary for the seat.
“If that happens, we’re going to publicize that as best we can,” Armistead said when asked what happens if McNeil is deemed ineligible to run.
The House district is currently held by GOP Rep. Chad Fincher, who chose not to seek re-election after he recently took a job as executive director of the Mobile Area Association of Realtors.
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