V17, N8 Sunday, Oct. 9, 2011 ‘08 primary forgery brings probe Fake signatures on Clinton, Obama petitions in St. Joe By RYAN NEES Howey Politics Indiana ERIN BLASKO and KEVIN ALLEN South Bend Tribune SOUTH BEND — The signatures of dozens, if not hundreds, of northern Indiana residents were faked on petitions used to place presidential candidates on the state pri- mary ballot in 2008, The Tribune and Howey Politics Indiana have revealed in an investigation. Several pag- es from petitions used to qualify Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama Then U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton signs an autograph while touring Allison Transmis- for the state’s sion in Speedway. She almost didn’t qualify for the Indiana ballot for the 2008 pri- Democratic mary, which she won by less than 1 percent over Barack Obama. President Obama primary contain is shown here at Concord HS in Elkhart. (HPI Photos by Brian A. Howey and Ryan names and signa- Nees) tures that appear to have been candidate Jim Schellinger. The petitions were filed with the copied by hand from a petition for Democratic gubernatorial Continued on page 3 Romney by default? By CHRIS SAUTTER WASHINGTON - Barack Obama has often been described as lucky on his path to the presidency. But Mitt Romney is giving new meaning to the term “political luck,” as one Re- “A campaign is too shackley for publican heavyweight after another someone like me who’s a has decided against joining the current field of GOP candidates for maverick, you know, I do go president. Yet, the constant clamor rogue and I call it like I see it.” for a dream GOP candidate has ex- - Half-term Gov. Sarah Palin posed one of Romney’s most glaring weaknesses. There is no enthusiasm for his candidacy. Romney, like Rich- HOWEY Politics Indiana Page 2 Weekly Briefing on Indiana Politics Sunday, Oct. 9, 2011 ard Nixon in 1968, is the candidate haps, beyond. But no candidate except no one seems to like but many are Rick Perry will have the resources to growing to respect as he plods his way truly compete with Romney for the to the nomination amidst a turbulent nomination. national political environment and Perry’s impressive haul of $17 www.HoweyPolitics.com against a weak field. million in the first six weeks of his But unlike 1968, there are campaign provides him with a chance two active wings in the Republican to revive his candidacy. But Perry’s Howey Politics Party. (Then, the conservative wing of stumbles after entering the race as Indiana the Republican Party was still licking front-runner have melted much of is a non-partisan newsletter its wounds from the beating Barry the enthusiasm for his candidacy. His based in Indianapolis. It was Goldwater took in 1964). By ending his positions on immigration and requir- founded in 1994 in Fort Wayne. tease and closing the door shut on a ing vaccinations for teenage girls have presidential run, New Jersey Governor alienated many conservatives who Chris Christie has made clear Romney have also yet to forgive Romney for Brian A. Howey, Publisher is the establishment wing’s undisputed providing the prototype for Obama’s Mark Schoeff Jr., Washington candidate for the GOP nomination. health care reform. Thus, it was Her- Jack E. Howey, editor Christie, like Mitch Daniels, man Cain rather than Romney who Beverly K. Phillips, associate passed on the race because it was has benefited from Perry’s problems. hard to identify a primary or caucus Meanwhile, the list of potential editor state he could actually win. Unlike vice presidential candidates--including Texas’ Rick Perry, Christie’s entrance Indiana’s Daniels, Florida Senator Subscriptions into the contest would not have made Marco Rubio, Virginia Governor Bob $350 annually HPI Weekly him the instant frontrunner. In spite McDonnell, and perhaps even the re- of all the media hype leading up to his luctant Christie—makes one wonder if $550 annually HPI Weekly and announcement, Christie was running Republicans have turned their process HPI Daily Wire. 4th in national polls. But a Christie upside down. With a bench like that, 'Call 317.627.6746 candidacy would have given Romney why are Herman Cain, Michele Bach- a genuine establishment rival in the man, and Ron Paul winning the party’s race. Moderate candidate Jon Hunts- straw polls this year? Contact HPI man, on the other hand, has to hope The answer is neither Howey Politics Indiana for a “murder-suicide” scenario—Rom- establishment rank-and-file nor Tea 6255 N. Evanston Ave. ney needs to finish off Perry while Party activists have ever felt comfort- Indianapolis, IN 46220 self-destructing himself--to have any able with Romney, whose standing in www.howeypolitics.com chance at the nomination. the polls has rarely risen above the Irrespective of what Romney mid-20’s. Nor have Romney’s smooth [email protected] does, the race for the conservative or debate performances tempered their 'Howey’s cell: 317.506.0883 Tea Party candidate for president con- unease. 'Washington: 703.248.0909 tinues even as Sarah Palin announced Even with the media pro- 'Business Office: 317.627.6746 to no surprise that she would also not nouncing him the apparent nominee be a candidate. That race, which just or perhaps because of it, Romney will a couple of weeks ago seemed to be now become a more frequent target © 2011, Howey Politics Indiana. firmly in Rick Perry’s hands, is now of an angry, nasty conservative base. All rights reserved. Photocopy- wide open. Herman Cain’s recent win Republican blogs have been viciously ing, Internet forwarding, fax- in the Florida straw poll has pushed attacking him for months, but Romney ing or reproducing in any form, him ahead of Michele Bachmann and has emerged from Republican debates whole or part, is a violation of in a tie with Perry within the crazy-talk virtually untouched. That could change crowd. in upcoming debates as Romney federal law without permission Some candidate with Tea replaces Perry as undisputed frontrun- from the publisher. v Party support will emerge after Iowa ner. The next debates give Perry a and South Carolina as the conservative chance to make a comeback with the alternative to Romney and there will conservative base on social issues by be a showdown in Florida and, per- drawing contrast with the more mod- HOWEY Politics Indiana Page 3 Weekly Briefing on Indiana Politics Sunday, Oct. 9, 2011 erate Romney. Buchanan have been pressing Romney to reconsider his With the field set, Romney should be able to con- snub of Iowa. But Iowa’s conservative bent makes a real solidate his support within the Republican Party. But Tea Romney Iowa run at this late juncture unlikely). Party conservatives comprise more than half of the primary A candidate who wins Iowa and/or South Carolina voters and caucus goers. If doubts about Romney persist, will emerge as the alternative to Romney. If that someone his return to status as frontrunner could become a curse. is Rick Perry, then there will be a real race for the Repub- No real votes have been cast in the Republican lican nomination that could further divide the conservative nomination process. When they are, a new media trajecto- and establishment Republican wings. v ry begins. Someone other than Romney will win Iowa since Sautter is a Democratic consultant based in Romney isn’t even competing there. (Some pundits like Pat Washington, D.C. genuine. Forgery 2008, from page 1 Erich Speckin, a forensic document analyst, examined the Indiana Election Division after the St. Joseph County Voter petitions at the request of The Tribune and Howey Politics. Registration Office verified individuals’ information on the He said there is clear evidence, based on the consistency of documents. the handwriting, that about 10 pages in the Obama peti- St. Joseph County Prosecutor Michael Dvorak’s tion were filled in by the same person, and another person name appears twice on the Clinton petitions. After The apparently filled in six or seven pages. He said it’s possible Tribune faxed one of the signatures to him, Dvorak identi- another two people filled in several more pages. Each page fied that signature as his own and confirmed that he had in the petition contains up to 9 signatures. signed the petition. Dvorak did not respond after a copy “It’s obvious. It’s just terribly obvious,” Speckin of the second signature on the same petition was faxed to said, pointing to one of the writer’s idiosyncrasies repeated him by The Tribune. throughout the petition’s pages. Spokeswoman Lora Bentley later said the prosecu- tor could no longer comment on the matter because it was Consequences now under investigation. The full extent of the fakery, which appears to be Falsifying a ballot petition is a Class D felony in limited to the state’s 2nd Congressional District and spe- Indiana. According to Dale Simmons, co-legal counsel for cifically St. Joseph County, is not yet known. The situa- the Elections Division, the statute of limitations for Class D tion, however, calls into question whether either Clinton felonies is five years. or Obama, both of whom were U.S. senators at the time, should have been on the Indiana primary ballot. ‘Terribly obvious’ Candidates for president, senator and governor The Tribune has talked with more than 30 people be- must submit ballot petitions signed by at least 500 regis- sides Dvorak whose names are on both the Clinton and tered voters in each of Indiana’s nine congressional districts Schellinger petitions. All but one of them have confirmed to quality for the statewide ballot.