The Boston Herald said that Tea Party gubernatorial candidate Mark Fisher has sought legal action against his own party and its leaders after losing the GOP ballot last month. In his lawsuit filed in the Suffolk Superior Court, Fisher claimed that he was wrongly denied a placement in a September primary. Fisher has named state party chair Kirsten Hughes and MassGOP executive director Rob Cunningham as co-defendants and is seeking damages that include is $25,000 fee to speak at the convention. Moreover, Fisher is also seeking an order for the party to put his name on the ballot against candidate Charlie Baker.
The GOP state party claimed that Fisher lost his bid for the primary when towards the final tally, the party counted dozens of purportedly blank ballots. The Herald said Fisher needs 15% of convention votes to get a place in the primary. Fisher argued that if the blanks would not have been tallied by the state party, he would have garnered more than enough votes to warrant a placement in the voter ballot.
The complaint added, "In a two-candidate race such as this, including ‘blanks' as part of the voting percentages would effectively cause all such blanks to be counted as Baker votes."
In a statement released today, Hughes said that the legal team of the state party is currently reviewing Fisher's allegations. She said, "We are certain the outcome will prove that processes were properly followed in accordance with our rules. Additionally, all ballot challenges were thoroughly and properly adjudicated in an open manner during the convention with Mr. Fisher's legal counsel present. Our Party and our candidates remain focused on proposing solutions to restore common sense and balance to Beacon Hill and we look forward to continuing to hear out Mr. Fisher's issues and to bring the matter to a close."
Baker said in a separate statement that he understands Fisher's need to seek legal action over his qualification, and promises that the GOP will ensure its processes are fair and transparent.
