Independent candidate appeals ruling to remove her from race

RICHMOND, Va. – An independent congressional candidate in Virginia is appealing a court’s decision to remove her from the race.

Shaun Brown filed an appeal Monday with Virginia’s Supreme Court. She says a Circuit Court judge in Richmond lacked the authority to remove her from the ballot because election officials had already certified her candidacy.

The judge ruled Wednesday that Brown can’t run because petitions to place her on the ballot contained forged signatures.

Staff working for Republican Congressman Scott Taylor had collected many of those signatures. The Republican effort has been widely seen as a strategy to split the Democrat vote in coastal Virginia’s competitive 2nd District.

Brown is a former Democrat. Virginia’s Democratic Party sued to remove her from the ballot, saying Brown would siphon votes from Democrat Elaine Luria.