{"id":1493063,"date":"2022-05-26T12:16:36","date_gmt":"2022-05-26T16:16:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1493063"},"modified":"2022-05-26T12:16:48","modified_gmt":"2022-05-26T16:16:48","slug":"republican-candidate-who-dropped-out-after-allegedly-forging-petition-signatures-announces-he-is-back-in-race","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/republican-candidate-who-dropped-out-after-allegedly-forging-petition-signatures-announces-he-is-back-in-race\/","title":{"rendered":"Republican Candidate Who Dropped Out After Allegedly Forging Petition Signatures Announces He Is Back In Race"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">32<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Frepublican-candidate-who-dropped-out-after-allegedly-forging-petition-signatures-announces-he-is-back-in-race%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1493063&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div><\/div>\n<p>A never-Trump Republican in New York who dropped out of a Congressional race after he was allegedly seen forging petition signatures has decided to redeclare his intent to run for Congress.<\/p>\n<p>Lonny Koons, who is trying to primary challenge New York Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik in the states 21st district, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wwnytv.com\/2022\/05\/25\/koons-declares-north-country-seat-congress-again\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">announced<\/a> Wednesday that he will jump back in the race. The announcement comes just months after the Daily Caller <a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2022\/03\/31\/never-trump-candidate-lonny-koons-allegedly-forging-petition-signatures-against-elise-stefanik\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">posted a video<\/a> of Koons, who can be seen writing down several petition signatures. Koons has denied forging signatures.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m just going to do this as low key, blue collar as possible. I\u2019m gonna rely on people hearing the word and seeing the fact that I\u2019m an average person like them, not some elitist,\u201d Koons <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wwnytv.com\/2022\/05\/25\/koons-declares-north-country-seat-congress-again\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">told<\/a> 7 News.<\/p>\n<p>The day the two videos were filmed he <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/koonsforcongressNY21\/posts\/133929149165386?__cft__%5B0%5D=AZWHXW8hiTy43NiZ-ngNTOsfjQLTHRDTMPYLkCbQrgc2gbwAlsoxNU8UURpDF0rMtdVuMNMBe990CMSoathrGR2bPipuT8vq9dODFELztNPZXQems1QVw2z_AWAfnG56Ttu9nx5vpO35MzsaO6YeYKzW&#038;__tn__=%2CO%2CP-R\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">said<\/a> on social media that he was in Ticonderoga and \u201cobtained a healthy number of petition signatures.\u201d<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">On March 12, Koons posted a letter on Facebook that he sent to the Working Families Party of New York. In the letter, he states that he is \u201cprimarying Ms. Elise Stefanik for the republican nomination\u201d and goes on to ask why the Working Families Party is describing him as a supporter of former President Donald Trump.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">The Working Families Party is a far-left socialist political organization that stands for\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/WorkingFamilies\/status\/1267078490945437696\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?q=https:\/\/twitter.com\/WorkingFamilies\/status\/1267078490945437696&#038;source=gmail&#038;ust=1648836503610000&#038;usg=AOvVaw1HSBFR-954oI-tkLs0dIbH\">Defunding the Police<\/a>, the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/WorkingFamilies\/status\/1219723339817766913\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?q=https:\/\/twitter.com\/WorkingFamilies\/status\/1219723339817766913&#038;source=gmail&#038;ust=1648836503610000&#038;usg=AOvVaw2wz_DdNEDbqgaB2Z6Z5Ix2\">Green New Deal<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/NYICAction\/status\/1508858773020065793\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?q=https:\/\/twitter.com\/NYICAction\/status\/1508858773020065793&#038;source=gmail&#038;ust=1648836503610000&#038;usg=AOvVaw2xWWNkEmedm5b7BUhg4kip\">Medicare for All<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">The organization which Koons founded, Blue Collar Politics, has also been vocal in supporting a \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.bluecollarpolitics.net\/koons-for-congress-environment\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">True \u2018Green\u2019 Movement<\/a>,\u201d \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.bluecollarpolitics.net\/koons-for-congress-healthcare-reform\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Universal Healthcare for All<\/a>,\u201d and \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/permalink.php?story_fbid=106302931804014&#038;id=105953465172294&#038;__tn__=%2CO*F\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">police reform<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><strong>WATCH:\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n[embedded content]\n[embedded content]\n<p>The Daily Caller spoke to a state official who said he was shocked by the videos and alleged that Koons was committing a felony.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI watched the video several times. Honestly, in disbelief. It\u2019s shockingly brazen. It\u2019s such a violation of the public\u2019s trust to be forging voter\u2019s signatures on an official document that eventually is going to be filed with the government entity, the State Board of Elections,\u201d Dutchess County Republican Elections Commissioner Erik Haight told the Caller. \u201cAnd he\u2019s perpetrating a fraud on the electoral system. Frankly, if this candidate files those petitions, he should be prosecuted to the greatest extent of the law and it is a felony, and every time he affixes someone else\u2019s signature to his petition.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s a crime,\u201d Haight continued. \u201cAnd frankly, if he does file these fraudulent petitions, he\u2019s playing with fire and people have been imprisoned for that crime,\u201d Haight continued.<\/p>\n<p>Haight also serves as the chairman of the Republican Commissioners Caucus of the Elections Commissioners Association.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWell, again, having watched that video several times. You know, because I don\u2019t accuse people of crimes lightly. And if I wasn\u2019t certain that he was committing a felony by forging those peoples signatures, I wouldn\u2019t say it. The video speaks for itself. It is shockingly obvious that he\u2019s forging their signatures. To deny it is to deny a fact,\u201d Haight added.<\/p>\n<p>Stefanik\u2019s campaign slammed Koons\u2019 actions, saying he should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law and called his actions \u201ca serious crime.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAny candidate filing for federal elected office should be held to the highest standards of election integrity. There is no more egregious act breaking the sacred trust with voters than illegally forging signatures to qualify as a candidate for office. It is an affront to the thousands of local volunteers and hardworking staff who over the years have carried Congresswoman Stefanik\u2019s petitions in the freezing cold, hail, sleet, rain, and snow storms in the North Country to ensure we exceed the signature requirement. It explicitly disenfranchises voters in our district of their constitutional rights,\u201d Stefanik\u2019s campaign told the Daily Caller.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis is a serious crime and should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. We must stand up for election integrity and security in our country,\u201d her campaign added.\u00a0<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2022\/03\/25\/exclusive-elise-stefanik-gop-midterms-elevate-pac\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">(RELATED: EXCLUSIVE: \u2018Historic Year For Republicans\u2019 \u2014 A Look Inside House Republican Conference Chair Elise Stefanik\u2019s Efforts To Win Back The Majority)<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>When the Daily Caller contacted Koons in March about the video of him allegedly forging petition signatures, he responded by saying he was dropping out of the race.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI have been preparing a press release of my own to announce that I am suspending my campaign due to a lack of funds and that I cannot afford to stay afloat because I have been on disability for 6 plus weeks at half my pay,\u201d Koons said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI will reevaluate a future run but currently I cannot afford to stay in this race and need to get back to work as am by definition, blue collar. As for Ticonderoga Walmart; I was indeed in my car filling out paperwork; some in regards to my campaign and some in regards to the disability issues I have been dealing with MetLife and the Hartford improperly paying my disability due to rotate cuff \/ bicep surgery. I had received a very good reception in Ticonderoga and had spoken to quite a few local businesses that support the idea of an average American trying to stand up,\u201d Koons added.<\/p>\n<p>The Daily Caller contacted Koons after hearing he was jumping back in the race, to which he did not immediately respond.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A never-Trump Republican in New York who dropped out of a Congressional race after he was allegedly seen forging petition signatures has decided to redeclare his intent to run for<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":163,"featured_media":1493101,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1493063","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1493063","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/163"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1493063"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1493063\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1493101"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1493063"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1493063"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1493063"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}