The republican grassroots didn’t support him, and now State Representative Ethan Orr is being challenged by the very democrats he embraced throughout his short Legislative career. Citing a “level of arrogance, incompetence and disrespect for the law” the Pima County Democratic Party is calling into question Orr’s place on the 2014 ballot.
In a statement released on Tuesday, the Democratic Party of Pima County said that after a review of Orr’s nominating petitions they had discovered that Orr “may have failed to obtain the minimum number of signatures required to appear on the 2014 ballot. Of the 634 signatures Orr’s campaign collected, 288 are either those of non-registered voters, voters from other states or voters who reside in other districts. That leaves Mr. Orr with 346 valid signatures- 15 below the threshold to qualify for the ballot.”
The Democrats also accuse Orr of Couple violating county and municipal codes “by putting up campaign signs nearly a month early…”
“Ethan Orr has failed at ‘Democracy 101,’ the most basic level of campaigning,” said Pima County Democratic Party Chair Don Jorgensen. “It’s a shame that someone elected to make laws seems unable to follow the law like everyone else.”
Orr’s opponents in the Republican Party were too busy trying to destroy each other to field a challenger to Orr. As a result, the seat will likely be filled with Randall Friese and Victoria Steele will keep her seat.