PORTLAND, Maine (AP) - An independent candidate for U.S. Senate in Maine has filed a federal lawsuit seeking to get on the ballot.
Tiffany Bond, a Portland lawyer, said the state should waive its typical signature collection requirements and place her on the ballot. Bond said she should be on the ballot because of the hardship caused by the coronavirus pandemic. She filed the suit Friday.
Bond said it was impossible for her to collect the required number of signatures and observe the state’s social distancing rules. The state didn’t make accommodations for her to collect the signatures without risking public safety, she said. The Senate race is a much-watched reelection contest for Republican Sen. Susan Collins.
Bond filed her lawsuit against the leading Democratic candidate, House Speaker Sara Gideon, as well as Senate President Troy Jackson, Gov. Janet Mills and Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap. The office of Attorney General Aaron Frey, which represents the state, declined to comment on the lawsuit on Sunday.
The lawsuit has yet to be served, Bond said. Bond also ran as an independent in a 2018 U.S. House of Representatives race in Maine that was ultimately won by Democrat Jared Golden.
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