Judge orders removal of Republican who was set to face Rep. Glenn Thompson in the primary
A Republican looking to run in the congressional district that includes Centre County was ordered to be removed from the ballot last week by a statewide appeals judge.
George Rathmell, of Jefferson County, is set to be removed from the Republican primary for the 15th Congressional District because he incorrectly stated his occupation and did not meet the required threshold of 1,000 valid signatures on nomination petitions, Commonwealth Court Senior Judge Mary Hannah Leavitt ruled April 8.
Rathmell, a Penn State alumnus, did not immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday.
The ruling means Rep. Glenn Thompson, R-Howard Township, will not have an opponent in the May 17 primary election. The 62-year-old Centre County native is seeking his eighth term in Congress and could become the longest tenured representative from Pennsylvania.
Carol Gingrich, of Gregg Township, and Pat Saylor, of Snyder County, challenged Rathmell’s candidacy in March.
Rathmell listed Army chaplain, pastor and volunteer as his occupation. He has not been in the Army for nearly three decades; Rathmell argued he was never stripped of his title and was not told he could not list the occupation from which he was retired.
That error alone warranted removing Rathmell from the ballot, Leavitt wrote.
“A former occupation is not a current occupation,” Leavitt wrote in her 27-page ruling. The error was “material and incurable,” she added.
Rathmell’s petition to be added to the ballot ostensibly included 1,306 signatures, but 374 were removed for more than a handful of reasons. Some signatures came from people who were not registered Republicans or registered to vote, while others were illegible.
That left Rathmell with 932 signatures, 68 fewer than required by law. Shohin Vance, the attorney for Gingrich and Saylor, did not immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday.
The largest geographic district in Pennsylvania includes 14 other counties, as well as parts of three others. The primary election is scheduled for May 17.
Reporter Halie Kines contributed to this report.
This story was originally published April 14, 2022 at 12:30 PM.