Kasich Campaign Press Release - Pennsylvania Ballot Update: Rubio Botches Challenge, Trump Lies on Robocalls, John Kasich Will Be On the PA Ballot
FACT: Gov. Kasich will be on the Pennsylvania ballot and that fact has been certified by the Secretary of State.
FACT: Pennsylvaniastatute requires petitions to be filed by 5:00 PM EST at the closing of the challenge deadline.
FACT: Sen. Marco Rubio attempted to file a protest at 5:13 PM EST and online at 6:12 PM EST—well after the deadline for filing challenges.
FACT: The challenge was lodged by Rubio supporters Nathaniel Rome and John Bravacos.
FACT: Trump's tweet that John Kasich is off the ballot in Pennsylvania is a lie. It is the same kind of dishonest, underhanded tactic that Sen. Ted Cruz pulled against Dr. Ben Carson in Iowa and for which he was forced to apologize.
The follow quote is attributable to Rob Nichols, spokesman for John Kasich:
"Trump is lying to Ohioans, and we are consulting with our lawyers on our next steps. We are 100 percent certain that John Kasich will be on the ballot in Pennsylvania. We submitted far more signatures in Pennsylvania than we needed to submit and that was certified by the Secretary of State. Trump's dishonest tweets and robocalls means his team either knows nothing about Pennsylvania election law or he's just scared to death we're going to beat him. Donald Trump continues to play gutter politics, America deserves better and he owes Ohioans an apology for lying to them."
BACKGROUND:
John Bravacos, the attorney for objector Nathaniel Rome, said the General Assembly could have set the deadline for challenges for 5 p.m., but instead did not specify a time.
Mr. Bravacos is the brother of Chris Bravacos, who chairs Sen. Marco Rubio campaign's efforts in Pennsylvania. A website titled Pennsylvania Students for Rubio bears the name of a Nathaniel Rome.
John Kasich, Kasich Campaign Press Release - Pennsylvania Ballot Update: Rubio Botches Challenge, Trump Lies on Robocalls, John Kasich Will Be On the PA Ballot Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/316686