Seng Hearing Set Today

Ed Tibbetts of the QC Times seems to be the only one covering the details of the challenge to Joe Seng's congressional nomination papers and has another must-read today. The hearing is set for 5 PM:

The attorney who filed the objection, Paul McAndrew Jr., said in an interview that he had heard the rumors Seng might run and decided to check out his

petitions. McAndrew has retained an attorney for the case, Jeff Link of Des Moines, who also is an adviser to U.S. Rep. Bruce Braley, D-Iowa.

McAndrew claimed in the objection filed with the secretary of state’s office that Seng’s petitions were accepted with the minimum number of signatures for just 10 counties.

McAndrew claims that while Seng turned in the minimum for three other counties, Scott, Wapello and Wayne, enough signatures on each are invalid so as to exclude him from qualifying.

It's a sign of the sloppiness that's marked all things Seng that one of the problematic counties is his own Scott.

I've known Paul for a long time and he's one of the best at this kind of law. He's done things like heading up the Democrats' absentee ballot protection efforts in Johnson. So if he's saying there's a problem, I'm inclined to think there's a problem.

Is Paul McAndrew a leading and highly connected Democratic attorney? Sure. Does Joe Seng, as he asserts, have the right to run? Of course. But he doesn't have the right to get away with a half-assed or insufficient effort.

My bet is McAndrew's challenge succeeds, we get a day of Loebsack Is A Big Blue Meanie stories, and then everyone focuses on the fall.