Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
GOP Operative Files Challenge To Spitzer's Ballot Petitions
By
Jen Chung
Published Jul 16, 2013
Modified Jul 16, 2013
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
Getty Images
By
Jen Chung
Published Jul 16, 2013
Modified Jul 16, 2013
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
While his Democratic rival in the NYC Comptroller race is opting not to question the validity of his petition signatures, former Governor Eliot Spitzer has to deal with a Republican activist who is formally challenging his 27,000 signatures to get onto the ballot. The Post reports that E. O'Brien Murray, "a former top state GOP official who helped elect Bob Turner to Congress and Democrat Simcha Felder to the state Senate, filed a general objection to Democratic voter signatures collected by Spitzer’s campaign. He has until next Monday to file specific objections."
Murray said to the Post, "Eliot Spitzer doesn’t deserve a free pass after what he put New York through." He says the petitions have many problems. As a petitioner who collected signatures for Spitzer's campaign last week wrote for us, "There are many many hurdles for a legitimate signature to be accepted by the Board of Elections. A person has to legibly fill out the date; their signature; their full printed name, the first line of their address with the words East, West, Avenue, or Street, all written out; city; zip code; and county. This is not as easy as it sounds."
The minimum number of signatures needed is 3,750, and many campaigns overcollect to show the amount of their support as well as extras in case any are invalid. Spitzer's team managed to get 27,000 in just four days, and Martin Connor, a lawyer for his campaign, said, "Anyone can file General Objections without showing a scintilla of substance for the challenge. The Spitzer campaign took great care in the petitioning process and filed far more than the number of valid signatures required by law. There are no worries in the frontrunners' camp about making the ballot. That was last week's concern."
Still, Murray is determined, "Eliot Spitzer has returned to politics the way he left it—with lies, deceit and who knows, possibility illegal and fraudulent activity." We're sure Kenneth Langone and Hank Greenberg are cheering Murray's attempt!
Tagged
e. o'brien murray
Election 2013
eliot spitzer
NYC Comptroller
petitions
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Gatorade recall affects drinks sold in New York and New Jersey
More than 122,000 cases are being recalled over undeclared food dyes.
By
Giulia Heyward
Published Oct 5, 2026 at 4:36 p.m. ET
Gov. Hochul declares upstate NY measles outbreak a ‘disaster emergency’
The declaration is driven by rising case counts in rural areas and in neighboring Pennsylvania.
By
Caroline Lewis
News
Gov. Hochul declares upstate NY measles outbreak a ‘disaster emergency’
The declaration is driven by rising case counts in rural areas and in neighboring Pennsylvania.
By
Caroline Lewis
NYPD detective forced to retire after false statements in Brooklyn investigation
By
Charles Lane
Mamdani faces pressure to forge ahead with plan to fix polluting South Bronx market
By
Elizabeth Kim
Dominican man who shot border patrol officer in NYC sentenced to 15 years in prison
By
Samantha Max
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .