Why A Pennsylvania Ballot Challenge Collapsed On Basic Legal Service Rules

A ballot fight can sound like pure politics until you see what actually decides it: procedure. We walk through a Pennsylvania election challenge where the outcome hinges on one unglamorous legal requirement, proper service. If you do not serve the right official the right way and on time, the objection can be dead on arrival. No amount of certainty on social media fixes that, and email is not a shortcut the law accepts.

Then we get personal and local. Harry Cochrane joins us with the update he has been waiting for: news that he will be on the ballot after the opposing side missed a key filing requirement. He explains why he was confident in his petition signatures, but frustrated by what he sees as a tactic to force legal spending and stall a campaign. Hubie Coleman tells his story too, describing how he filed to run for Republican committee man, received a receipt, and then got served with papers aimed at removing him based on party-status claims.

Along the way, we dig into the bigger questions Fayette County voters keep asking: who gets to compete, who sets the rules, and what happens when party insiders try to “clear the field” before anyone votes. We also preview tomorrow’s promised document drop on money, influence, and county-level manipulation, and we invite you to challenge it with facts once it’s public.

Subscribe so you do not miss what comes next, share this with someone who cares about ballot access and election law, and leave a review with your take: should courts and party insiders shape the ballot, or should voters decide?

Transcript

Claims Of Insider Control

SPEAKER_05 2:02

Hey everybody, this is Joel Moran, and I am the Hillbilly. In today's show, we're here with Harry Cochrane and Hubie Coleman. Let's get started. Let judgment run down as waters and righteousness as a mighty stream. That's it. Amos 524. I'll tell you what, today we're going to talk about something a whole lot of people have been getting wrong in the last week and how the law actually works when it comes to election challenges. Because there's been plenty of noise, plenty of options, plenty of people acting like they already know the outcome. But this case didn't hinge on politics, personalities or headlines. It hinges on one thing service. Pennsylvania, when you file an objection, the law requires that the secretary be properly served within a specific time frame. Not close, not almost, properly on time. And here's the reality email is not valid service. Showing up late does not count. And missing the requirement is not a small mistake. It's fatal to the entire objection. That's not opinion. That's established law. It's already been redressed by the Commonwealth Court. And here's where the story takes a turn. Takes a turn, people need to pay attention to. Because while everyone was busy arguing online, the political establishment, what what I call the Uniparty, is trying to rush this through and clear the field. And let's be honest about it. When you're trying to use law fair to avoid facing competition, you better make sure you follow the law yourself. Because if you don't, it exposes exactly what this was about. Not integrity, not process, but control. And here's something else that needs to be said clearly. Jacob Cecil, you deserve to have the people decide your fate at the ballot box also, not the courts, not backroom conversations, not political insiders trying to shape the outcome before a single vote is cast. That's not how a constitutional republic is supposed to function. We the people decide, not Pat Stefano, not a handful of insiders sitting around a table thinking they know better than the voters. While all this was unfolding, some of the media weren't exactly helping people understand the facts. Yes, Kendall and Russ Rhodes. At some point you've got to decide what your role is. Are you there to report what actually is happening? Or are you there to echo whatever narrative the political machine is pushing that week? Because the facts here are not complicated. The case engages on service. Service was not done properly. Period. So when this is finalized, the real question is this. Do you keep cheering for the swamp or you start being a voice for the people who deserve the truth? Because the noise is fading. The facts are catching up to it all. We got some information today. Harry did, actually. And I'll let Harry uh go ahead and tell everybody what happened.

SPEAKER_02 5:00

Well, they're very pleased, John, to receive the news that we are going to be on the ballot. Uh there was a technicality with the paper that had to be filed with the secretary that the attorney for my opponent uh did not properly foul in time. And uh that's gonna give us the uh right to go forward. Um I'm very happy to hear that. However, if it would have gone into litigation, I think we would have been fine because we had over 600 good names. And uh I wasn't afraid of that. I just what I didn't like was they played politrix to try to make us spend a lot of money, unnecessary. So and we can't get out there and get the campaign going because we have to worry about the legalities of all this. Um they um it goes back to control. You have a handful of people at the top down there. They they're they're afraid of opposition. I want to thank all the people that did help us financially uh to amount a case and we were ready to go if we had to do it. And it shows we do have a lot of support out there, and people in principle were against what they were doing to me. And I thank them for that. I look forward to a campaign now, and I think that uh the people should understand it just isn't at the state level. It trickled down here to Fayette County to a just a simple committee election for a local uh precinct uh captain in the Republican Party. Uh next to me is uh Yubi Coleman, our friend and the candidate who filed for uh Republican uh committee man in Connellsville's second ward. And uh I'll let Yubi explain what happened uh after this one. I'll go ahead and tell him what happened.

SPEAKER_04 6:36

I just wanted to get on the ballot to a committee man and my ward. I went around, got my uh petitions and signatures and all what I had to do and up to the election you know, bureau and got on a ballot and getting a receipt said everything was ready to go. I would be on a ballot. And about four days later, after that, I got served with some papers. They're trying to they're they removed me from the ballot because I wasn't a Republican.

SPEAKER_05 7:06

They didn't they didn't remove you from the ballot yet. But they're going to they're trying to. Right. So there's there's gonna be a hearing tomorrow?

SPEAKER_04 7:12

Yeah, one o'clock.

SPEAKER_05 7:13

At one o'clock, in front of which Judge Liskin. In judge in front of Judge Leskin, and uh you're you're gonna have somebody represent you.

SPEAKER_04 7:21

I think yeah.

SPEAKER_05 7:22

And and uh we're we're gonna move forward with this.

SPEAKER_04 7:25

Yeah, I'm gonna try like heck and do what I gotta do, but it's a shame what I got what I've got to go through just to get on the ballot to be a committee.

SPEAKER_05 7:32

Yeah, this isn't like you were trying to join the country club, yeah, but blackballed you. Yeah, I got blackballed. Yeah, this is like the the voters, the vote you had the right amount of signatures, yeah. They were all good signatures, they were all good signatures, and so then they want to they they want to say that you haven't been a Republican long enough. Yeah, they're claiming that I I wasn't so who so uh so there's a litmus litmus test for to be a Republican now?

SPEAKER_04 7:56

Apparently.

SPEAKER_05 7:56

Uh say you have to be a Republican for so long or whatever.

SPEAKER_04 8:00

They claimed for two years.

Ballot Win After Filing Error

SPEAKER_05 8:01

Well, I um when did they change these rules?

SPEAKER_04 8:05

I'm not sure. Apparently, okay. Now here's here's what I want.

SPEAKER_05 8:10

Here's what I want to tell you. Uh I I I I I got an idea what the outcome of this is going to be already, but uh this is what I want to tell you. The Republican committee's rules cannot overs overseed the or go beyond what the uh election office has to do with it. They cannot they cannot supersede that. They the the Republican the Republican's rules, you got your 10 names, you're you're on the ballot, they vote you in. Now you might not be able to be on the executive committee, they might have rules about that, but you're going to be an elected if you're elected, or when you're elected for that precinct, then you'll be the representative for the Republican Party there.

SPEAKER_02 8:53

Yeah, the people will have to. You know, I'd like to inject something at this point. I remember the old days in this county with the Democratic Party. They did the same thing to people. They didn't push them out like this, but they just control it like a dictatorship. And I see this, you know, the Republicans who were fortunate enough now to have control. We had to work together, we'd have it, we'd have it made. And uh, you can't force people out of the party and not welcome everyone in it to participate and have a successful party. But you want to be free to make choices, not be controlled. And uh this is determined from running.

SPEAKER_04 9:28

You know, got ready to give up because of all this.

SPEAKER_02 9:30

Yeah, you hate to see the Republicans going down the same path and make the mistakes like the Democrats made the Choked County. You have to have a free and open primary to allow people to serve as they want to serve.

SPEAKER_05 9:42

I mean, it it would be it would be real nice if we had an open primary, I believe.

SPEAKER_02 9:47

John is so long as I remember, I don't remember the appelling committee person in the Causeville Second Ward. Yeah, there was not for 40 years. That's it.

SPEAKER_04 9:55

I mean, honest, John. Here's someone wants to participate. Yeah, I want to participate and get involved, and they're deterbing me by doing so so why do you think they're doing this to you, Huby? I think it's political. I mean, uh the the guy Bobby Smith, um, he I used he I have uh storage containers and he was renting one putting uh campaign signs in. And he didn't pay me for over a year, and I kept calling him and he said we're moving out, and he kept on giving me excuses, and uh I'd say I'll help you move them. You know, we do what we gotta do because I want to rent it out, and you know, I can't leave I can't do this. And I think it's something about that. I believe it's because who and who would want to take an attorney to off file this and spend all that money to see remove a little committee many man.

SPEAKER_05 10:45

Yeah, that doesn't it doesn't quite make sense, but uh but it it's about they can't get enough committee people. Yeah, no, they they get they didn't get 15 people at the meetings and now and uh and we're we're but uh we we do know that uh uh there's a good many people running this time and there's uh good many people that uh are are gonna are gonna end up being on the committee because of uh the way things are set up and uh uh if the people elect you then then you should be on the committee and that that that should be it. I mean they they you might not be allowed to be on an executive board or something like that for a year, but I think that's that's the way it should be.

A Local Candidate Gets Challenged

SPEAKER_04 11:19

Yeah, I told a couple of my friends and they got upset and they said we're gonna write you in, so it don't matter. That's what they call that's what they said. Throw me off the ballot if I get so many write-ins, it's still what the don't matter.

SPEAKER_05 11:32

It doesn't matter, you'll be on. Judge Duskin's gonna have a hard time taking you off. Yeah, I mean, because the people spoke. Uh Harry, back to you. Um, the this thing with uh trying to get you off of the ballot. Uh we we know that uh we know that uh the the attorney that that you hired, uh I I got to speak to him. Um he didn't want to come on radio just yet, but uh he'll probably be on after it's all over with. Get him on for an episode because we're understanding that this is happening all over the state. Anyone that's tried the primary or uh an incumbent uh uh GOP, they're trying to do this differently.

SPEAKER_02 12:09

John, they're afraid of opposition because I'm gonna uh there's a lot I'm gonna bring out. Um and you know, when the people hear this, they're they're they're not afraid of me or what I'm bringing out. When the people hear this, they're they know what to do. We need change. County's being choked.

SPEAKER_05 12:25

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 12:25

And uh it's what when you go to Harrisburg, it's control from the top. I'm a grassroots person, and that's what I want to be. People are they're the sovereign here. The people in this county need help, and you're not gonna get it from Harrisburg. Everything's down there engineered to get votes out of Philadelphia, get help from Philadelphia. Now and then they'll throw a few to Allegheny County. These just it's just like school tax uh reform. You try to do any tax reform, you have Philadelphia and Allegheny County standing in your way. So they're trying to always control at the top.

SPEAKER_05 12:55

I do know that there's a bill that's uh in the in the state house right now that's uh they're trying to push through about uh uh eliminating property tax.

SPEAKER_02 13:03

And uh uh hopefully that they've been trying to do that since I've been in politics. And what do you what you'll wind up with, you're always stonewalled the way this is set up because you have to give so many concessions to Philadelphia and Allegheny County. This can be worked out, but it can't be worked out when you're playing politrix at the top. They play with each other down there and they're not honest with each other, and they use us as tools out here and they control, they put money, big money behind the boys down there that can control. That's what we that's what we were fighting here. They even get on the ballot. They don't want they don't want anything heard, they want you silenced.

SPEAKER_05 13:37

Well, I I do know we got we got some upcoming things. Um, QB, uh, we're we're we're gonna we're gonna wish you the best. Hopefully at one o'clock tomorrow we'll get this, we'll get this settled. I know it has to be done, I know it has to be settled quickly. And uh hopefully uh and you were just trying to do the right thing and get on the ballot. And yeah, and uh, you know that's all and you and that they're they're just trying to uh it seems like uh the if maybe maybe you weren't cute enough to be a cheerleader for for the Republican Party or something. I don't know.

SPEAKER_04 14:08

Yeah, I I think government should run without even getting signatures, I give them credit just to get the state.

Party Rules Versus Election Law

SPEAKER_02 14:14

West Virginia State, you can do that in, but here we take a constitutional amendment, and uh they don't want that in Pennsylvania because they want control at the top. And if they allow to people what that is, uh for example, you need 10 names. Well, you don't have to pay to be a mini person, but in my case, I had to have at least 500 names in the district. And you pay you pay$100 and you become a candidate. In the in the state of West Virginia, I wouldn't have to get uh 500 signatures, I can just go pay$200 and it would be on the ballot. Big bosses at the top, and both parties don't want this to happen because they want to be able to put candidates in and take candidates out and try to wedge you out and block you out and you know make it hard for you to win. So they'll never give this control up. That's what it should be, what it should be and what it is. It's not uh reality, it's politics.

Teaser: Documents And Corruption Claims

SPEAKER_05 15:02

Okay, so um anything else from you two guys? I appreciate no worries, we're gonna get you back on again. We we know you're a state constable. We we know you that you're uh uh intelligent person. We gotta keep moving forward with this. I mean, uh we thank you for coming on on the podcast. It's gonna be a short one today because but uh we we got a lot of stuff. Um uh let me tell you, if you're out there and you're listening and you're and you're uh and you're listening to us, tomorrow we're gonna start with a big tomorrow we're gonna start with something really, really big. And uh we're we're gonna start pointing out where all this money's been going to, and and uh we're gonna show you how how things have been manipulated in our county, Fayette County, uh, and how how the commissioners are involved in this, our state senators are involved in this. And uh we're gonna we're gonna we're gonna put this out there. We're gonna start tomorrow. We have uh I got a big packet sitting at home, but we we've I've got people going through and we're they're trying to decipher. Uh I know that there's other people uh that's working on this tonight uh today, tonight. It's gonna probably be a four or five part thing, but we're gonna really hit this hard and we're gonna make sure everybody understands we're gonna have all the documentation, all the documentation to be able to prove this. And if you and I'm gonna just I'm gonna say something right now. When we after we put this out and we start putting this out, if you can prove me wrong, I'll gladly back step and and take your word. I'll gladly take a look at it differently. But I want you to be able to prove me wrong. And we got the information and it's all out there, and we're gonna we're gonna put it up, we're gonna put it up on the podcast. You'll be able to see it all Facebook and and all the different liking and all the different places we're we're involved with, um Spotify, and we want everybody to understand. But if you can prove me wrong, go ahead. I'll I'll let you try. We're not gonna lie about it. And we're not we're we don't have to lie about this. This is this is so uh the the what we're getting ready to put out here starting tomorrow is is so corrupt. And while it it might just be on this side of the law, but it's the way they bend the law to make it work for them for the political elite. And I and we've had all we can stand of it, and we're gonna we're putting it out. So I want to thank all of you for tuning in. There's one other thing I want to say. We're over, we're in the hundreds of thousands of viewers already. It's something that I'd never expected. Um, we're on our way, we're on our way to a million.

SPEAKER_02 17:43

Uh go ahead, Harry. I want to thank you for allowing me to announce my goodness.

Closing Words And Ted Cruz Notice

SPEAKER_05 17:48

Being able to and we're gonna get when we'll hopefully we're gonna have uh after uh I appreciate your help too. We're we're doing everything we can, and uh I I tell you what, that this is a big deal because we we have to change things, folks. We have to change things. It can't be the same as last year. We got to change everything we possibly can. We already getting some documents up there. Uh I I don't have my glasses on, but uh if you want to take a look at it and see, uh uh. So, anyways, um we're gonna keep moving forward with everything we can. Thank you so, so much for listening in. Like I said, our views are over in the hundreds of thousands already. I don't know exactly what the number is. We're gonna try to uh, but uh I know we're we're real close to half a million already. So, anyways, like I always close my show. On this road called life, you have to take the good with the bad. Smile with set smile when you're sad, love what you got and remember what you had. Always forgive, but never forget. People change, things go wrong. Just remember the ride goes on. God bless each and every one of you, and God bless America. I am John Mariana, and I am the Hillbilly.

SPEAKER_03 18:59

Senator Ted Cruz is coming to Western Pennsylvania on March 26th as the headline speaker for the PA Faith and Freedom Coalition dinner and reception. Other speakers include Ralph Reed, 30 points action, and Helen Auditory. W 24, 25, no holiday, lightweight, twenty-two four, involved, no holiday, lightly.