{"id":4718,"date":"2026-07-10T19:04:09","date_gmt":"2026-07-10T19:04:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=4718"},"modified":"2026-07-10T19:04:09","modified_gmt":"2026-07-10T19:04:09","slug":"judge-reinstates-gop-candidate-to-mass-primary-ballot-despite-substantial-evidence-of-fraud","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=4718","title":{"rendered":"Judge reinstates GOP candidate to Mass. primary ballot despite \u2018substantial evidence\u2019 of fraud"},"content":{"rendered":"
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A state judge on Friday reinstated one of two statewide Republican candidates knocked off the primary ballot amid fraud allegations, ruling that a technical error outweighs the \u201csubstantial evidence\u201d his campaign submitted fake signatures in order to qualify.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Judge Jeffrey T. Karp ruled that Michael Walsh, the state Republican Party\u2019s endorsed pick for attorney general, should have his name put back on the September ballot, effectively overturning a decision handed down last month by the State Ballot Law Commission, which found that hundreds of signatures Walsh submitted were likely fake.<\/span><\/p>\n

The decision turned on technical grounds, and more specifically, the mail. Karp found that a state Democratic Party official who originally challenged Walsh\u2019s place on the ballot did not correctly submit his objection under state law, which requires it be sent via registered or certified mail. Because of that, the commission should have been barred from even weighing the initial challenge to his candidacy.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cThis matter has brought this court to the intersection of serious, credible allegations of voter signature fraud and the rule of law,\u201d Karp wrote in his 14-page decision. \u201c… Despite substantial evidence in the record of signature fraud, the court is constrained to rule that the SBLC lacked jurisdiction to hear [the original] objection.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

As of Friday afternoon, Karp had yet to rule on a related case involving Anne Manning Martin, a Republican lieutenant governor candidate whom the commission also kicked off the primary ballot amid similar fraud allegations.<\/span><\/p>\n

David Mackey, an attorney representing the commission, declined to comment on the Walsh ruling Friday, including whether he planned to appeal Karp\u2019s decision.<\/span><\/p>\n

Walsh did not immediately respond to a request for comment.<\/span><\/p>\n

Karp\u2019s ruling in Walsh\u2019s case is the latest development in a months-long signature fraud controversy that has prompted district attorneys in Norfolk and Plymouth counties to open investigations, and already tanked the campaign of the Republican Party\u2019s endorsed pick for lieutenant governor.<\/span><\/p>\n

The case centers on the work of Joe Bronske, a paid signature gatherer hired by Manning Martin, Walsh, and Anne Brensley, the Wayland Republican who, just weeks after winning her party\u2019s endorsement, said she not collect enough signatures to qualify for the September ballot. She accused Bronske of failing to gather the number of signatures she had paid him for, and turning in some that were forged \u2014 including some, she told the commission, that belonged to voters who had long since died. <\/span><\/p>\n

In court documents filed ahead of a hearing this week, Mackey, the lawyer representing the State Ballot Law Commission, accused Bronske of engaging \u201cin a systematic \u2014 although ultimately obvious and easily detected \u2014 fraud\u201d by forging signatures to help Manning Martin and Walsh make the September primary ballot.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cRather than gather signatures of voters, Bronske forged the signatures of registered voters in the Town of Weymouth on nomination papers in the same order for multiple candidates, apparently working off of a list of voters he received from the Massachusetts Republican Party,\u201d Mackey wrote in documents filed in Manning Martin\u2019s case.<\/span><\/p>\n

In interviews with the Globe, a dozen people whose signatures appeared on Manning Martin and Walsh\u2019s nomination papers said they did not sign the sheets. <\/span><\/p>\n

When pressed this week about the alleged forged signatures, a lawyer for Manning Martin said no voters were brought before the state commission to verify that their signatures were forged. Walsh said he had denied the fraud allegations, and when asked whether he submitted documents with fake signatures, he said, \u201cI don\u2019t think so.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

During a court hearing this week, Walsh and Manning Martin argued that the State Ballot Law Commission erred in deciding to move forward with an objection to the signatures on their nomination papers.<\/span><\/p>\n

The two candidates said the people who objected to the signatures did not follow the strict rules laid out in state law for notifying the candidates of a challenge to their signatures.<\/span><\/p>\n

Massachusetts Democratic Party executive director Adam Roof and Shawn Oliver, another Republican lieutenant governor candidate, challenged Manning Martin\u2019s signatures. Only Roof challenged Walsh\u2019s signatures. <\/span><\/p>\n

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Any person challenging a candidate\u2019s nomination papers must send their objection to the candidate by certified mail, with return receipt requested, no later than the day after the objection is filed with the state. Failure to follow those rules \u201cshall invalidate any objection,\u201d according to state law.<\/span><\/p>\n

But in its decision, the State Ballot Law Commission said Oliver presented evidence that his objection was mailed by the law firm representing him. <\/span><\/p>\n

An attorney from that firm said staff had \u201caffixed the appropriate certified return receipt mail labels to the envelope\u201d containing the objection and deposited them in the firm mailroom\u2019s postal service bin, according to the commission\u2019s decision.<\/span><\/p>\n

Oliver later provided a copy of a \u201cgreen card\u201d \u2014 or a return receipt \u2014 stamped by the USPS, \u201cshowing proof of mailing,\u201d the commission said in its decision.<\/span><\/p>\n

Walsh said Roof originally said that he sent the objection to Walsh by certified mail, but later claimed a deputy in the Democratic party \u201cattempted but failed to send all of the envelopes by certified mail.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

In his decision, Karp wrote that \u201cthere is no dispute that Roof failed to comply\u201d with the requirement to serve an objection via registered or certified mail, with a return receipt requested. The judge said he \u201ccannot ignore the clear language\u201d of state law outlining the mailing requirement.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt is this court\u2019s view that the SBLC\u2019s reasoning is misplaced and that the SBLC erred as a matter of law by failing to dismiss the objection,\u201d Karp wrote.<\/span><\/p>\n

In court Wednesday, Mackey argued that Karp, the Superior Court judge, should focus on one key test \u2014 whether strict adherence to the procedural requirements overrode the commission\u2019s primary purpose of detecting voter fraud.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cTo disqualify the objections here based on certified mail requirements . . . would then allow names to appear on the ballot as a result of, in our view, plain and obvious signature fraud,\u201d Mackey told Karp.<\/span><\/p>\n

Mary-Ellen Manning, Anne Manning Martin\u2019s sister and lawyer, said Karp had a \u201csimple\u201d decision to make.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe State Ballot Law Commission is governed by statute. It\u2019s a creature of statute. It must operate in accordance with the statutory jurisdiction,\u201d she said.<\/span><\/p>\n

Deb O\u2019Malley, a spokesperson for Secretary of State William Galvin, said his office asked the court to issue a final decision in the cases by July 14 in order for officials to prepare Republican primary ballots for local clerks to send to overseas and military voters by July 18.<\/span><\/p>\n

O\u2019Malley said she did not yet know whether Galvin\u2019s office planned to take any legal action in the wake of Walsh\u2019s ruling. She said officials were still awaiting the ruling in the Manning Martin case Friday.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u201cThese are two separate cases, but they very much run together,\u201d she said.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A state judge on Friday reinstated one of two statewide Republican candidates knocked off the primary ballot amid fraud allegations.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4717,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4718","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-politics"],"yoast_head":"\nJudge reinstates GOP candidate to Mass. primary ballot despite \u2018substantial evidence\u2019 of fraud - Boston Relocation Insider<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=4718\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Judge reinstates GOP candidate to Mass. primary ballot despite \u2018substantial evidence\u2019 of fraud - 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