Green Party Senate candidate expects to lose ballot spot

Green Party Senate candidate Mel Packer said today that he expects the Joe Sestak campaign to win its challenge of his petition signatures and be successful in its attempt to throw him off the ballot.

The ballot challenge "was not unexpected and given the absurd requirements that third-party candidates must meet to attain ballot status, his challenge will likely be successful and I will lose my already state-certified ballot status," the Point Breeze man said at a press conference Downtown.

Under state law Mr. Sestak, the Democratic Party's candidate, had to submit 2,000 petition signatures to get on the statewide ballot while Mr. Packer, a 65-year-old physician's assistant and activist, had to submit 19,082. He barely hit that total, so he expects Mr. Sestak's lawyers to easily invalidate enough signatures --- by finding incorrect addresses, illegible signatures and the like -- to bounce him off the Nov. 2 ballot.

Mr. Sestak similarly was able to kick Robinson machinist Joe Vodvarka off the Democratic primary ballot this spring.

The Senate race is shaping up to be close: Mr. Sestak trailed GOP opponent Pat Toomey by 6 points in the last polling.

The last time a Green Party candidate in Pennsylvania made it onto a statewide ballot -- in David Cobb's run for president in 2004 -- he received 0.1 percent of the vote. The Sestak campaign has not commented on why it is challenging Mr. Packer's petitions, but it is likely worried he would siphon off some voters, however small the number.