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Lawsuit Seeks to Remove State Senate Candidate Chris Thieneman from Ballot

A lawsuit filed in Jefferson Circuit Court seeks to kick Republican state Senate candidate Chris Thieneman off the ballot, citing residency issues.Thieneman is a Louisville businessman and political activist who is running against Democratic incumbent Perry Clark for 37th State Senate District seat.(Read the lawsuit here.)The suit was filed by Louisville resident Robert Walker this week and alleges Thieneman is not a legitimate candidate because he does not live in the 37th District, which is in southwest Louisville.Attorney Jennifer Moore is representing Walker. She says Thieneman lives in a condominium in the 33rd Senate District, which is in east Louisville."The voters of the 37th District deserve to have a choice between two qualified candidates to be on the ballot," she says. "It's absolutely unfair to these voters to have someone put their name on the ballot who is unqualified under the Kentucky Constitution."According to Jefferson County property records, Thieneman owns a home located at 2606 Alia Circle, but he lists a 7650 Dixie Highway address on his state Board of Elections paperwork.Several of Clark's supporters have said that location is a storage warehouse business, but Thieneman told The Courier-Journal's Mike Wynn he has an apartment in the building. The same issue came up during the Republican primary for the district, but a judge upheld his residency.The race has been closely watched in part because Thieneman has been able to out-raise Clark by a considerable margin. It has also become a nasty race, with the Kentucky Democratic Party launching a series of attack ads hitting Thieneman previously failed bids for public office and charitable work for kids with cancer.In a new 30-second spot, Thieneman stresses he is from the "South End" and says the General Assembly could use some "South End" values.Watch:The lawsuit also uses testimony from a neighbor of Thieneman’s to say the candidate actually lives at the Cliff View Condos on Brownsboro Road.The motion to remove him from the ballot is scheduled to be heard in court Friday afternoon.Thieneman could not be reached for comment.

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