The challenge, filed on behalf of Alejandro Chavez, alleges that
the man who changed his name to Cesar Chavez from Scott Fistler
should be removed from the primary election ballot for misleading
voters in his bid to win a seat in the largely Hispanic seventh
congressional district.
"We believe he is trying to corrupt the process," said attorney Jim
Barton, who filed the legal action in Maricopa County Superior Court
on Tuesday.
Chavez, co-founder of the United Farm Workers union, is a revered
civil rights figure for his work on behalf of farm workers and
Hispanic Americans. He died in 1993.
The lawsuit also claims that the candidate did not obtain enough
valid signatures to be on the ballot.
Fistler legally became Cesar Chavez last year, court records show.
He could not be reached for comment late on Tuesday.
Fistler's latest candidacy has drawn sharp criticism, with
predictions that voters would not be fooled by his attempt to
capitalize on the legacy of the former civil rights activist.
In addition to the name change, Fistler switched political parties
to be able to vie in the Democratic primary to replace retiring
long-time Representative Ed Pastor.
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The man now known as Chavez has run for office before as Fistler,
once as a write-in candidate for the same seat and as a hopeful for
the Phoenix City Council. He garnered few votes.
(Reporting by David Schwartz in Phoenix, Arizona; Editing by Eric M.
Johnson and Robert Birsel)
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