Cara Castronuova, a former Golden Gloves boxing champ and celebrity fitness trainer, has filed a federal lawsuit accusing the New York State Republican Party and the state Board of Elections of having strict rules that prevent her from qualifying to run for the US Senate. She claims that the requirement of obtaining 15,000 valid signatures from Republican voters is undemocratic and unconstitutional. Castronuova, along with her confidante John Tabacco, who is a Republican from Staten Island, are plaintiffs in the case.
In the court documents, Castronuova stated that she had collected more than 13,500 signatures, falling short of the 15,000 required. She argued that it is nearly impossible for an average citizen to meet such a lofty signature goal within the given 37 days, especially when the signatures must be collected from 13 of the 26 congressional districts in the state. The lawsuit alleges that the rules are overly burdensome and expensive, making it difficult for anyone besides the party’s favored candidates to qualify for ballot status.
The lawsuit references a previous case from 2000 when a federal judge deemed New York Republican ballot access rules unconstitutional, allowing presidential candidate John McCain to run in a primary against George W. Bush. Castronuova claims that history is repeating itself with the current situation. Despite her efforts to secure the nomination, Republicans chose former NYPD Detective Mike Sapraicone as their candidate to challenge Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand in the upcoming elections. Castronuova and another candidate, Josh Eisen, failed to garner enough support from the convention delegates to qualify for the ballot.
Another blow to Castronuova’s chances came when former President Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee, endorsed Sapraicone. Castronuova had hoped to run as a Make America Great Again (MAGA) candidate with Trump’s backing, but his endorsement of her opponent shifted the dynamics of the race. The only remaining option for Castronuova to appear on the ballot is to collect 15,000 signatures from registered Republicans, a task she believes is unattainable given the stringent rules set by the party. State Republican Party chairman Ed Cox did not comment on the lawsuit or the situation faced by Castronuova.
