UPDATED: Fisher's Nominating Petition Challenged

A resident in the 48^th Legislative District is challenging the nominating petition of a candidate for the state house seat there.

Laura D. Phillips, no address given, filed a petition to set aside the nominating petition of , D-.

The petition was filed Wednesday in the state Commonwealth Court.

Phillips is being represented by Pittsburgh attorney Ronald James Brown.

Brown said late Thursday that state house candidates are required to have 300 valid signatures on their nominating petitions. Fisher's petition, he said, included 394 signatures—215 of which are being challenged.

Signatures are deemed to be invalid if they are from people who are not registered to vote, who are not registered Democrats or who do not reside within the district, he explained.

Reached on the matter Thursday, Fisher said she was not aware of the paperwork being filed, and that she preferred to reserve comment until after she had received more information.

The deadline to file challenges in state House races is 5 p.m. today. The deadline had been extended by two days because of the recent redistricting process, a Commonwealth Court spokesman said.