Elizabeth Bishop-Goldsmith, founder of Mothers Against Guns, has been knocked off the ballot in her pursuit of the 10th Senate District seat. After challenges, she ended up with only 153 valid signatures, about 15 percent of the 1,000 needed.
And Alan Jenning's petitions may not hold up either. The campaign only has 17 signatures more than needed - not a comfortable margin - and Board of Elections workers testified that 20 of his signatures are invalid.
Goldsmith accused the Board of Elections of corruption, saying it is owned by the Queens Democratic party, and called for an investigation into its practices. She then went on to accuse her staffers of conspiracy, denouncing them for sabotaging her petitions.
In the past, she has had problems with staffers. Her campaign manager left over what he said was a dispute about pay, which she denies was the reason.
Goldsmith was running largely on an anti-gun violence platform. Prior to this race, she proposed local legislation, which became law, to raise the purchasing age for a rifle or shotgun to 21 from 18, and was working with state lawmakers from both parties to limit sales of ammunition.