Ella Adams
State House News Service
Attorney General Andrea Campbell wouldn't commit Tuesday to debating GOP attorney general candidate Michael Walsh before the November election, deflecting on the topic but tossing out a question of her own: "Why is he still on the ballot?"
"Here is someone who unlawfully and fraudulently obtained signatures to appear on the ballot," Campbell told "Boston Public Radio" hosts Jim Braude and Margery Eagan on Tuesday. "The question you and others should be asking, including the Republicans who are running side by side with him is, why are you still on the ballot?"
"How do you run for attorney general where you are the chief law enforcement officer of the state of the commonwealth, and you just broke the law to get on the ballot?" she asked.
The Ballot Law Commission in July sustained an objection filed by Massachusetts Democratic Party Executive Director Adam Roof alleging that Walsh had submitted fraudulent nomination signatures and did not have the required 10,000 certified signatures to get on the ballot. Walsh appealed the decision in Essex County Superior Court, where judge decided that "despite substantial evidence in the record of voter fraud" the commission didn't have the jurisdiction to consider Roof's complaint because he failed to comply with a requirement to submit the objection via certified mail.
The commission appealed that decision. The Supreme Judicial Court ruled in July that Walsh could appear on September's primary ballot, denying the commission's appeal and clearing the path for Walsh to be placed on the Sept. 1 primary ballot.
"He got back on through a technicality," Campbell said. "Everyone should be concerned about the fact that there were several Republican candidates here in Massachusetts — forget the national, just our local state — who got on the ballot unlawfully."
The Supreme Judicial Court also ruled in July that former Republican candidate for lieutenant governor Anne Manning Martin could not appear on the primary ballot, stemming from complaints alleging she filed fraudulent nomination signatures and didn't get the required 10,000 certified signatures to make the ballot.
The controversies over nomination signature fraud center on signatures collected by people hired to gather the signatures.
Walsh told the News Service recently that he's ready to move past allegations that he submitted fraudulent nomination signatures, and that "we didn't do anything wrong and we did get thousands of people who supported us and so we're hoping to focus on a positive message and move on."
Broaching the topic of a potential Campbell-Walsh debate, Braude said Walsh had agreed to do a debate on GBH and that, "We spoke to your office a couple of weeks ago. We haven't heard yet back. Are you going to commit to debate Michael Walsh?
Campbell replied, "We're evaluating requests, and so we will circle back."
"Well I don't care about us," Braude pressed. "Are you going to agree to debate him somewhere?"
"I will see," Campbell said. "I think right now at this stage we're asking the wrong question."
Asked what the "right" question is, she replied, "Why is he still on the ballot?"