{"id":31531,"date":"2018-08-08T01:07:20","date_gmt":"2018-08-08T01:07:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/uncategorized\/2018\/08\/08\/probe-opened-over-ballot-petition-in-us-house-race-that-includes-2-former-navy-candidates\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T19:28:10","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T19:28:10","slug":"probe-opened-over-ballot-petition-in-us-house-race-that-includes-2-former-navy-candidates","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/your-navy\/2018\/08\/08\/probe-opened-over-ballot-petition-in-us-house-race-that-includes-2-former-navy-candidates\/","title":{"rendered":"Probe opened over ballot petition in US House race that includes 2 former Navy candidates"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">NORFOLK, Va. \u2014 A special prosecutor in Virginia was appointed Tuesday to investigate potential election law violations in a tight congressional race that could help Democrats reclaim the U.S. House.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Political observers said the probe could hurt <a href=\"https:\/\/www.navytimes.com\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2017\/02\/12\/former-navy-seal-from-virginia-aims-to-make-mark-in-congress\/\" target=_blank>Republican U.S. Rep. Scott Taylor<\/a> in what\u2019s become an increasingly competitive district along Virginia\u2019s coast. But it will likely depend on the investigation\u2019s outcome.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The special prosecutor will focus on possible discrepancies among signatures that were gathered by Taylor&#8217;s campaign staff to help an independent congressional candidate get on November&#8217;s ballot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The move was widely seen as an effort by Taylor\u2019s campaign to split the Democratic vote in Virginia\u2019s 2nd District. Taylor is running against <a href=\"https:\/\/www.navytimes.com\/news\/your-navy\/2018\/01\/08\/retired-navy-commander-to-challenge-former-seal-for-house-seat\/\" target=_blank>Elaine Luria<\/a>, who is backed by national Democrats. The independent candidate is Shaun Brown, a former Democrat who lost to Taylor in 2016.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/your-navy\/2018\/05\/24\/former-navy-commander-targets-former-seal-for-virginias-2nd-district\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"203\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/rep-scott-taylor.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Former Navy commander targets former SEAL for Virginia\u2019s 2nd District<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">Political battle lines are forming in Virginia where a woman who once led a combat-ready unit of 400 sailors wants to capture a Republican congressional seat held by a former Navy SEAL.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Such efforts are not unheard of. But this week, four people told local public radio station WHRO-FM that they never signed a petition to get Brown on the ballot, even though their names appear among the signatures collected by Taylor&#8217;s staff.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Another woman told the station that her dead husband&#8217;s name is on the petition. And Virginia Del. Glenn Davis, a Republican, has told media outlets that his name appeared on two petitions. He said he signed one. His first name was misspelled and his address was incorrect on another.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The revelations prompted the commonwealth&#8217;s attorney for Virginia Beach to request a special prosecutor. A judge appointed Donald R. Caldwell, the commonwealth&#8217;s attorney for Roanoke.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"814\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP18008678336431.jpg.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-62771\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP18008678336431.jpg.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP18008678336431.jpg.jpg?resize=300,204 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP18008678336431.jpg.jpg?resize=768,521 768w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP18008678336431.jpg.jpg?resize=1024,695 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">In this undated photo provided by Elaine for Congress, retired Navy commander Elaine Luria poses for a photo. (Elaine for Congress via AP)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Taylor&#8217;s office said he was aware that his staff had volunteered to collect signatures for Brown. But he said he was not at all involved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;My campaign has a zero-tolerance policy for inappropriate activities,&#8221; he said in a statement. &#8220;Recently we became aware of the inconsistencies in a voter petition process along with everyone else.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Taylor said he previously fired his campaign manager over separate issues, but &#8220;current knowledge underscores that decision.&#8221; It also prompted him to fire a campaign consultant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Taylor said he will cooperate fully with the probe. But he said &#8220;these irregularities have no bearing on Shaun Brown&#8217;s right to be on the ballot.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;National Democrats are engaged in a systematic effort to disenfranchise 2nd District voters by marginalizing a qualified African American candidate.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Brown said she was &#8220;shocked&#8221; by the Taylor campaign&#8217;s tactics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;There was no effort to work with my Republican opponent,&#8221; said Brown, who added that she and her supporters collected signatures outside grocery stores and at outdoor events.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;It&#8217;s hard to even fathom,&#8221; she said. &#8220;In 2016, he had refused to even appear on stage with me at a couple different forums. Some of his supporters called me &#8216;Aunt Jemima.'&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Brown said she intends to win in November. She&#8217;s facing trial in October on charges that she defrauded the federal government through a summer meal program for children. Her first trial ended with a hung jury.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Taylor, a former Navy SEAL, won his first term in 2016 by nearly 23 percentage points. Political observers say he fits the district well with his moderate social views and conservative stances on military and economic issues. It is home to the world&#8217;s largest Navy base in Norfolk and one of the nation&#8217;s largest veteran populations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But national Democrats think they have a shot at unseating Taylor with Luria, a former Navy commander, as well as with anger toward Republican President Donald Trump. The district has been labeled as either leaning Republican or as a toss-up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Political observers said the tactics of Taylor&#8217;s campaign staff are common enough. But an investigation into wrongdoing is rare.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Quentin Kidd, a political science professor at Christopher Newport University, said Taylor&#8217;s opponents could be mobilized and some of his supporters turned off.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;If this is going to be a really close race, Scott Taylor could have turned a couple-hundred-vote win into a couple-hundred-vote loss,&#8221; he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But Geoffrey Skelley, a political analyst at the University of Virginia Center for Politics, said the probe&#8217;s outcome is what matters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cDoes this matter at the end of the day to most people? Probably not,\u201d he said. \u201cIt really depends on what the special prosecutor finds.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A special prosecutor in Virginia was appointed Tuesday to investigate potential election law violations in a tight congressional race that could help Democrats reclaim the U.S. 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potential election law violations in a tight congressional race that could help Democrats reclaim the U.S. House.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/your-navy\/2018\/08\/08\/probe-opened-over-ballot-petition-in-us-house-race-that-includes-2-former-navy-candidates\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Navy Times\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2018-08-08T01:07:20+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-08-08T19:28:10+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Ben Finley, The Associated Press\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Ben Finley, The Associated Press\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" 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