Arizona — 6th District

A judge removed third-party candidate Iman Bah from the ballot in Arizona's 6th Congressional District.

Democratic-aligned attorneys successfully challenged Bah's petition, arguing he did not have enough valid signatures.

Bah's presence on the ballot as a "No Labels" candidate was seen as potentially helping Republican incumbent Juan Ciscomani.

A judge kicked third-party candidate Iman Bah off the ballot in Arizona's 6th Congressional District after a team of Democratic-aligned attorneys successfully argued he had not collected enough valid signatures in support of his campaign.

The case turned Bah's little-known candidacy into a proxy battle between high-powered lawyers from both major political parties.

Attorneys Roy Herrera and Daniel Arellano brought the challenge, while Timothy LaSota, an Arizona lawyer aligned with Republicans, fought to keep Bah on the ballot.

"I'm disappointed that voters won't be able to consider Mr. Bah as a candidate," LaSota said of his client, a political unknown who has reported raising a total of $195.

The signature challenge became a flashpoint in the Tucson-area race, one of only a handful of contests that will determine the balance of power in the U.S. House starting in 2027. The race is expected to draw millions of dollars' worth of advertising, national media coverage, and constant scrutiny from both parties' election strategists.

Bah's presence on the ballot likely would have helped the incumbent, U.S. Rep. Juan Ciscomani, R-Arizona, who is considered one of the most vulnerable sitting members of the House GOP caucus.

By running under the banner of the "No Labels" party, Bah might have siphoned votes from Ciscomani's more competitive Democratic rival, JoAnna Mendoza.

Bah did not return requests for comment. Neither did Bridgette Gallagher, the plaintiff who officially filed the objection to Bah's signatures.

The case was one of several challenges brought against "No Labels" candidates in Arizona. Democrats were behind many of them, as they hope to harness voters' discontent with the Republican-held White House.

Other efforts weren't so successful. A law firm aligned with Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs failed to disqualify independent candidate Hugh Lytle from the ballot in Arizona's governor's race. The Arizona Supreme Court ruled Lytle could stay on the ballot, despite listing a UPS mailbox as his address rather than his home address, as state law requires.

Herrera, one of the lawyers behind the challenge to Bah's candidacy, has previously worked for U.S. Sen. Ruben Gallego, D-Arizona, and the Democrats' 2024 presidential campaign in Arizona.

Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Adele Ponce initially sided with Bah, but the outcome was overturned after an appeal. In the end, the courts concluded Bah was just five signatures short of the 220 needed to make the ballot.

Bah had pitched himself to voters as having "no ties to big money or to the political elite." He previously ran as an independent candidate for Tucson mayor.

The ballot will still be crowded despite the court's May 6 decision. Ciscomani and Mendoza, as well as Green Party candidate Gary Swing and Libertarian candidate Jereme Peters, are all on track to win their parties' nominations in the July 21 primary elections.