Challenges filed against Senate hopefuls seeking Women's Equality Party line

A handful of Democratic candidates in closely watched state Senate districts are facing official challenges to their efforts to gain the new Women's Equality Party ballot line this fall.

In order to carry an independent ballot line in Senate races, a candidate must receive 3,000 valid signatures from registered voters. Now, the Board of Elections will soon hold hearings on the objections -- which appear to be filed by Republican allies -- before determining whether the petitions should stand.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo's re-election campaign launched the Women's Equality Party effort earlier this year, and petitions signatures were turned in on behalf of several fellow Democratic candidates.

Along with O'Brien, objections were posted against petitions filed for Sen. Cecilia Tkaczyk, D-Duanesburg, Schenectady County; Sen. Terry Gipson, D-Rhinebeck, Dutchess County; Dave Denenberg, a Long Island candidate; and Hudson Valley candidate Justin Wagner.

A challenge was also filed against O'Brien's effort to create the Upstate Tax Relief ballot line, which he announced last month.

The effort to knock the candidates off the Women's Equality Party line was knocked by Senate Democrats, whose spokesman said the GOP's candidates "are clearly running against New York women."

"This outrageous attack on the Women’s Equality ballot line clearly demonstrates why we need to elect more Democrats to the State Senate," Senate Democratic spokesman Mike Murphy said in a statement.

Not so, said Scott Reif, a spokesman for Senate Republicans. He accused Democrats of submitting "hundreds upon hundreds of invalid signatures" from non-registered voters and from people who live outside of the Senate districts in question.

Reif provided one page of eight petition signatures filed on behalf of Tkaczyk, with each of the signatures coming from New York City's outer boroughs. Tkaczyk's district stretches from Schenectady County down to part of Ulster County.

"The simple fact is that no one will fight harder for women's equality than Senate Republicans, but this isn't about that -- it's about following the law," Reif said in a statement. "Democrats didn't do it."

Republicans, meanwhile, have launched their own third-party ballot line: Stop Common Core, an effort to capitalize on anger over the state's implementation of the stricter learning standards.