A challenge to state Senate candidate Mitch Seabaugh's qualification for office has been dismissed.

Seabaugh is one of three Republicans running for incumbent 28th District Sen. Rick Price's seat. The district encompasses parts of Fayette, Spalding and Coweta counties.

Republicans are crying “foul” in the incident, in which Democrats challenged 17 candidates in an apparent attempt to disqualify one unknown candidate whom an observer had allegedly seen qualifying after the noon deadline April 28. All but one of the 17 challenges were dismissed Monday morning,

All the candidates were on time, said Linda Hamrick, executive director of the state Republican Party. “We've got witnesses,” said Hamrick. “I helped clear the room at the end of qualifying, and everyone qualified before the deadline,” she said.

“It's curious that they would go to such extremes with the taxpayers' money,” said Hamrick. “I guess they were worried about losing power.”

But a state Democratic Party spokesman said the party challenged the candidates only in the interest of fair play. “We were just trying to make sure that everybody plays by the rules,” he said, adding that the party voluntarily dropped all the challenges except one when it discovered that the candidates filed on time after all.

Fayette Democratic Party Chairman Ernest Broadwell filed the challenge against Seabaugh, he said, after a state party official phoned him and asked him to. Challenges must be filed by residents of the candidate's district.

Broadwell said he was under the impression that the state official had personally seen Seabaugh qualify late, but later learned that wasn't the case.

“I was a little bit reluctant at the time, and I don't think I'll do that again,” he said. “I didn't see it.”

Seabaugh said Monday he asked Democratic Party officials to let him present evidence to them that proved he qualified on time, but received no response.

In a letter to Broadwell, he said, “It is my hope that after you see my evidence, you will withdraw your complaint and help save the taxpayers of this state some of their tax dollars.”

The lack of response, he said, “shows there was no desire on the part of Mr. Broadwell or the Democratic Party to resolve the matter quickly and as cost effectively as possible.”

Officials of the state Democratic Party did not return phone calls from The Citizen.

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