West Philadelphia resident Solange Chadda wants her name on the Pennsylvania ballot for the U.S. Senate race in Pennsylvania - even if it means pushing back this Tuesday's election.
Chadda filed a complaint in the Philadelphia District Court against Bob Casey, the Democratic candidate for Senate, and the Board of Elections on Tuesday. Her case is being heard this morning at the U.S. District Courthouse in Philadelphia, and the Casey campaign was issued a court summons to attend.
Chadda alleges that members of the Casey campaign tried to bribe her to drop her Independent candidacy. She said that when she refused, members of the campaign stole thousands of petitions which she needed to get on the ballot.
"Everything was stolen from me," she said.
Along with the complaint, Chadda filed a motion to delay the Senate election for 60 days so that she could get her name on the ballot and have time to campaign.
Records show several donations in the thousands of dollars made in the past several years to the Republican national committee in Chadda's name.
Representatives from the Casey campaign could not be reached yesterday evening for comment. Casey is trying to oust incumbent Rick Santorum.
Experts, however, say that crusades like this one are rarely successful.
Gordon Silverstein, a political-science professor at the University of California, Berkeley, said there is little chance that Chadda will get this extension.
"Delaying the elections would have to take something close to an act of war," he said. "It's awfully hard to imagine, unless she can present some concrete and awfully irrefutable evidence."
Nan Aron, president of the Alliance for Justice - a Washington, D.C.-based judicial advocacy group - added that the legitimacy of Chadda's campaign is in doubt.
"If she were a legitimate candidate, there would have been some articles, some press," Aron said. "She would have been known in the community."
Chadda said she believes the Casey campaign wants her off the ballot because she could draw votes away from him.
A native of France, Chadda came to the United States 25 years ago. She worked in the fashion and cosmetics industries before becoming involved in politics.
