September 07, 2010 11:20 PM UTC

Republicans Trying to Get Tancredo Thrown Off Ballot

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• by: Colorado Pols

As Eli Stokols at “Fox 31” reports:

Lawyers will meet Tuesday afternoon to schedule preliminary hearings on a suit that aims to keep Tom Tancredo’s name off the November ballot…

…The lawsuit, filed in Denver Tuesday morning by voters from Highlands Ranch and Golden, challenges the certification Friday of Tancredo on the November ballot by arguing that he switched parties too late…

…”Tancredo and Miller’s last-minute nominations are the result of, in the Tancredo campaign’s own words, ‘inter-party squabling’,” the lawsuit states. “Tancredo’s ACP nomination is nothing more or less than a failed gambit to force the duly nominated Republican candidate for Governor, Dan Maes, to withdraw his candidacy.

The plaintiffs are Joe Harrington, a voter from Highlands Ranch, and Marian Olson, a voter from Golden.

They emphasized that they were filing this action to challenge the ballot certification in their individual capacity only, and not on behalf of any candidate, political party, or other organization.

Marian Olson is a wealthy Jefferson County Republican well known in Golden for regular attempts at suing the city for one thing or another (she was also a prime backer of the failed recall election attempt in Golden in 2009).

Olson initially filed an action in Jefferson County District Court last Friday asking the court to remove Tancredo from the general election ballot. District Court Judge Tamara Russel held a hearing Friday afternoon in which The Colorado Attorney General’s office, representing the Secretary of State, argued that the case was improperly filed in Jefferson County because under the venue rules, the Secretary of State can only be sued in Denver District Court.  The Secretary of State also argued that Tancredo and the American Constitution Party must be parties to the action. Judge Russel ruled only on the venue issue and ordered the case transferred to Denver District Court, where it is being discussed today.