Pennsylvania
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., third-party candidates face ballot challenges in Pennsylvania
This story originally appeared on Spotlight PA.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., his running mate, and at least nine third-party candidates are facing challenges that could see them kicked off of Pennsylvania’s Nov. 5 general election ballot.
The petition against Kennedy, an independent candidate and member of a dynastic Democratic family who rose to prominence as a vaccine skeptic and conspiracy theorist, was apparently filed with the backing of Clear Choice Action. The political action committee was formed by allies of President Joe Biden to challenge third-party and independent candidates.
In a state where recent presidential elections have been decided by just tens of thousands of votes, Kennedy’s appearance on the Pennsylvania ballot could affect whether Democrat Kamala Harris or Republican Donald Trump takes home the state’s coveted electoral votes. Recent polls show Kennedy with roughly 3% support among commonwealth voters.
Challenges to several other candidates were filed with Commonwealth Court by the 5 p.m. deadline Thursday.
The petition targeting Kennedy and his running mate Nicole Shanahan makes several arguments, including that Kennedy provided the wrong home address and that the candidates did not submit enough signatures.
The Pennsylvania Department of State advises third-party candidates for president that it will accept nomination papers with 5,000 signatures. However, it also warns candidates that this standard — which is much lower than the one prescribed in the state’s Election Code — is based on a court ruling that explicitly applies to the Constitution, Green, and Libertarian Parties.
“A voter or other interested party could file an objection to a candidate whose nomination papers contain only 5,000 signatures, which the state judiciary would need to resolve,” the agency warns.
The petition argues that Kennedy’s nominating papers fail to meet either standard. The filing alleges that the candidate filed 23,680 signature lines with “numerous ineligible signatures and defects.”
Two Pennsylvania voters are listed as the petitioners. However, according to a statement obtained by The Inquirer, Clear Choice Action is involved in the objection. The PAC has filed similar challenges in other states including New York and Illinois.
One of the lawyers who filed the petition referred questions to a Clear Choice Action representative, who did not immediately respond to request for comment.
Two separate challenges target the Party for Socialism and Liberation’s presidential and vice-presidential candidates: Claudia De la Cruz and Karina Garcia.
One petition challenges the eligibility of some of the party’s presidential electors. The other, filed by the same voters objecting to Kennedy, also targets the number of signatures filed.
Another challenge seeks to disqualify the entire slate for the ultraconservative Constitution Party, which is connected to the Christian right and based in Lancaster.
Pennsylvania
Man cited after abandoning car in frozen pond at Pennsylvania country club: Police
A man has been cited after police said he drove a vehicle into a frozen pond at a country club in Pennsylvania, left the scene, then spent the night in a hotel.
According to the East Lampeter Township Police Department, on Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026, around 10:38 a.m., officers were called to the Lancaster Country Club after receiving reports about a vehicle in a pond.
Police said that, through an investigation, it was learned that Sung Chun, a 50-year-old man from Hoboken, New Jersey, had driven onto the property the day before around 8:30 p.m., crossed portions of the golf course, and ultimately ended up in a pond.
Chun then exited the vehicle and walked away without reporting the incident and spent the night at a nearby hotel, according to police.
Credit: East Lampeter Township Police Department
Credit: East Lampeter Township Police Department

Credit: East Lampeter Township Police Department
Police said Chun returned to the location while police were on scene investigating the incident and was ultimately cited with “Trespass by Motor Vehicle.”
Pennsylvania
State College, Pennsylvania: 2026 USA TODAY 10BEST Readers’ Choice Awards
Pennsylvania
What the war with Iran could mean for gas prices in western Pennsylvania
The war with Iran could start impacting your wallet as soon as today.
Jim Garrity from AAA East Central says oil prices are up.
“They’re hovering around $72. They were pretty consistently around $65, $66 for a while,” he said.
Nationally, AAA said the average for a gallon of regular sits at about $3, up approximately six cents from last week.
In Pennsylvania, it’s around $3.12 a gallon, and in the Pittsburgh region, it’s around $3.24 a gallon. That’s actually down about four cents from last week.
Garrity added that gas prices this time of year would already be increasing, usually because of higher demand for the warmer months and the production of the summer blend of gas used for those months.
The impacts of what’s happening in Iran may not be immediate, which could be part of why our region and the state overall have not seen a spike yet, he said.
“It could be a couple of days later. It could be up to a week later,” Garrity said.
A lot of people are watching what happens with the Strait of Hormuz. Iran borders it to the north, and 20% of the world’s oil goes through it.
Iran is one of the world’s biggest oil producers, and China gets a lot of that oil.
“If there is an impact there, you could see oil start to come in from other parts of the world, which has a downstream effect on [the United States],” Garrity said.
One way you can save on gas if prices increase in our area is by slowing down.
“When you drive faster every five miles, over 50 miles an hour, your fuel efficiency is going down,” Garrity said. “You’re making the car work harder, making the gasoline consumption less effective.”
Garrity added that in 2022, when our area and many others saw some of the highest gas prices ever recorded, people changed their driving habits.
“We saw people make seemingly permanent changes to their driving behaviors, driving less in general, consolidating trips,” he said.
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