“David Beats Goliath!!”--Libertarian VandenPlas Defeats GOP Challenge on Signatures--June 13, 2022

 

June 13, 2022

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

“David Beats Goliath!!”--Libertarian VandenPlas Defeats GOP Challenge on Signatures

STURGEON BAY, WI—Jacob VandenPlas, the Libertarian Party candidate for Wisconsin’s 8th US Congressional District, won his case before the Wisconsin Elections Commission (WEC), on June 10th, against a complaint filed by Wisconsin’s Republican Party political director. The complaint asserted that VandenPlas did not submit the minimum signatures required to appear on the ballot for the November 8th general election.

Republican Party official Jordan Moskowitz played a well used card from his party's bag of dirty tricks by filing a 115 page complaint, with supplements, to remove 200 signatures from VandenPlas's candidate petition. If approved this would have eliminated his party's only competition in the 8th District. In effect stealing the race.

“This was a cowardly move,” said Jacob VandenPlas, the primary contender to unseat Republican Congressman Mike Gallagher. “Wisconsin voters deserve a competition for their votes. They deserve to pick the best candidate based on ideas and personalities. Any candidate that would try to eliminate their competition thru tweaking the rules will no doubt try to duck their obligation by skipping out on any debates."

Trying to eliminate VandenPlas from ballot access might have shown a sign of Republican fears of voter backlash. VandenPlas runs on a Libertarian platform of “end the wars, balance the budget, and defend individual liberty,” as noted on his website.

“We look forward to the debate stage. And like we won the battle for ballot access, we look forward to winning in November,” VandenPlas said.

Given only three days to prepare for the challenge, the VandenPlas campaign team submitted detailed evidence in response to Moskowitz’s assertions before the WEC deadline on the afternoon of June 9th. In the final tally at the hearing, VandenPlas had a total 1027 confirmed signatures, clearing the 1000 minimum required. Also, two independent candidates in the same race survived similar challenges on their petitions.

Jacob VandenPlas, a 38-year-old Wisconsin native, and a combat veteran of the Wisconsin Army National Guard who did two tours during the war in Iraq, lives in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, where he and his wife Emily and their family own a sustainable vegetable farm.