Candidate Claims Petition Signatures Stolen From Office: ICYMI

TUCSON, AZ — An Arizona Secretary of State candidate is calling foul after campaign signatures were allegedly stolen from a Tucson office, according to reports. Democrat Mark Robert Gordon, a hopeful challenger to incumbent Michele Reagan, said the theft occurred at the Pima County Democratic Party Headquarters in Tucson.

Gordon is claiming that candidate nomination petitions signed by voters were stolen, alleging that his campaign was the only target of the theft, Tucson News Now reported.

"The fact that somebody would in any way interfere with the democratic process is a little concerning," Gordon told Tucson News Now in an interview.

However, Gordon isn't blaming any particular person or campaign for the alleged theft. He said in a release that an "unidentified and unauthorized person" picked up the ballots. "People want to be helpful to campaigns. So it was possible that it was somebody who was trying to be helpful - one of our volunteers, canvassers, or elected officials who have endorsed our campaign - perhaps they had somebody," Gordon said, Tucson News Now reported. "We checked with every single one and nobody had it."

Pima County Democratic Party Chair Jo Holt believes three petition sheets have gone missing, according to Tucson News Now, but has "no idea" where they could be. If Holt is right, then Gordon is missing up to 30 of the 5,801 required signatures to qualify for the ballot.

Holt said it was likely a mistake. "We haven't had any campaign come in and attempt to steal someone's petitions. But we do have mistakes," she said, Tucson News Now reported.

Officials at the headquarters will now require volunteers picking up petitions to sign in. "hat still doesn't prove that they're with the campaign," Holt said. "But we do at least know who took them."

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