Arizona candidate who changed name misses deadline

PHOENIX (AP) — An Arizona congressional candidate who legally changed his name to Cesar Chavez is now officially off the Democratic primary ballot.

A Maricopa County Superior Court judge ruled last week that hundreds of signatures that Scott Fistler gathered to get on the Aug. 26 ballot were invalid.

He didn’t file an appeal by Monday’s deadline that was set by the judge’s order.

Fistler changed his name to that of the late farm labor leader last December and switched party affiliations in April.

He previously lost two bids for elected office and was seeking a seat in the heavily Hispanic and heavily Democratic 7th Congressional District, which includes parts of Phoenix and Glendale.

Chavez’s grandson had filed a legal complaint against Fistler, saying the candidate’s name change was intended to defraud voters.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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