Cara Castronuova, a former Golden Gloves boxing champ and celebrity fitness trainer, filed a federal lawsuit against the New York State Republican Party, accusing them of having rules that make it difficult for her to qualify for the US Senate ballot. She claims that the GOP’s requirement of obtaining 15,000 valid signatures from Republican voters is anti-democratic and unconstitutional. The lawsuit also names the state Board of Elections as a defendant, along with Castronuova’s confidante, John Tabacco, a Republican from Staten Island.
The 15,000 signatures that Castronuova needs to collect must be from 13 of the 26 congressional districts within 37 days, with the petitions due by April 4. According to the court documents, she had already collected over 13,500 signatures. Castronuova and Tabacco argue that the signature requirement is practically impossible for the average citizen to meet, and even the Party itself would struggle to gather 15,000 signatures in time due to the onerousness of the rules and the associated expense.
The lawsuit references a previous case in 2000 where a federal judge deemed New York Republican ballot access rules unconstitutional, allowing presidential candidate John McCain to run in a primary against George W. Bush. At their party convention in February, the Republicans chose former NYPD Detective Mike Sapraicone as their candidate for the US Senate in an attempt to unseat Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand. Castronuova, along with entrepreneur Josh Eisen, failed to qualify for ballot status at the convention after not garnering 25% of the delegates’ votes.
With former President Donald Trump endorsing Sapraicone, Castronuova’s hopes of running as a Make America Great Again (MAGA) candidate with Trump’s support took a hit. Trump’s endorsement of Sapraicone, the presumptive Republican nominee, further complicated Castronuova’s chances of running for the US Senate. The only alternative route for Castronuova to get on the ballot is to collect 15,000 signatures from registered Republicans, a task made more challenging by the party’s rules and Sapraicone’s endorsement by Trump.
State Republican Party Chairman Ed Cox refrained from commenting on the situation, leaving Castronuova and Tabacco to pursue their lawsuit against the party’s ballot access rules. They argue that the rules are undemocratic and unfair to both ordinary citizens and alternative candidates who do not have the financial resources and political backing to meet the stringent signature requirements. The outcome of the lawsuit will determine whether Castronuova can proceed with her bid for the US Senate or whether the existing rules will prevent her from running as a Republican candidate in the upcoming election.
