Pennsylvania

Kasich, Cruz ballot paperwork challenged in Pennsylvania

Republican presidential candidate, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas speaks during a rally, Wednesday, Feb. 24, 2016, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

HARRISBURG, Pa. — Court challenges seeking to knock Republican presidential candidates Ted Cruz and John Kasich off the Pennsylvania primary ballot have been scheduled for hearings in March.

The challenge to Kasich was filed by a Marco Rubio activist and will be heard March 9. It questions the signatures collected to get Kasich on the April 26 ballot.

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Two Cruz challenges will be heard March 10. One was filed by Carmon Elliott, a Pittsburgh Republican, who says Cruz isn't qualified to run for president because he was born in Canada. The other challenges the signatures collected to put Cruz on the ballot.

“I learned in grade school on what is a natural born citizen,” Elliott said.

While Cruz was born in Canada, his mother is an American citizen, making him a U.S. citizen, too.

Elliott argues that the criterion isn’t enough to become a U.S. president.

“The question becomes is a natural born citizen defined in the constitution and the answer is ‘No,’” Channel 11’s legal analyst Phil Dilucente said.

Dilucente said the issue will continue to arise until the Supreme Court addresses it in regard to presidential candidates. He said Elliot’s petition to the State Court may eventually be thrown out.

“It may fail because Sen. Cruz is not a senator in this state. There is a filing in the state of Texas, and it may go forward because you need jurisdiction venue and question of law,” Dilucente said.

Seven others filed paperwork to get on Pennsylvania's ballot for president: Republicans Rubio, Jeb Bush, Ben Carson, and Donald Trump, and Democrats Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders and Roque "Rocky" De La Fuente.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

WPXI

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