On Tuesday a judge removed Arizona congressional candidate Cesar Chavez, the former Republican known as Scott Fistler before changing his name, from the 7th Congressional District primary ballot.

Alejandro Chavez, the grandson of the late activist Cesar Chavez, filed the lawsuit reporting the false signatures, AZ Central reports. Judge John Rea determined that 711 (48 percent) of Chavez's 1,455 signatures were invalid. Those discredited were said to be made by people who are not registered to vote, are not democrats or independents, or do not live in the proper district.

Candidates need 1,039 signatures in order to be on the Aug. 26 ballot. With the invalid signatures not counting, Chavez was 295 signatures short.

Chavez was his own attorney in the trial where he displayed both "comical antics" and "tearful testimony," according to AZ Central. During the trial, Chavez asked for people to "funnel money" into his campaign and find him an attorney as he plans to appeal the decision to the Arizona Supreme Court. He has until June 27.

Alejandro is happy with the court's decision, which he believes will stop the former candidate "from representing and defrauding" the district's residents.

"...It is time to bring the focus back on the issues my grandfather and so many others have fought for, including healthcare, education, economic opportunity, immigration and civil rights," he told Fox News Latino.

Alejandro's other claim, that Chavez changed his name "as part of a coherent scheme," was dropped by the hearing's conclusion.

"I believed it was an attempt to try and fool voters, but now that I've met him, I don't believe that was his intent," Alejandro told AZ Central after the hearing.

The grandson reportedly even complimented Chavez's dedication.

Chavez gained negative attention after changing his name to that of the farmworkers rights icon in December 2013 and becoming a democrat in April. Some suspected that Chavez was disrespectfully trying to win over Latino voters.

Chavez believes he was targeted by the other candidates.

"I don't know why. I try to play by the rules," he told AZ Central. "They wanted to knock me off the ballot. It was simply a strategic, heartless maneuver made by my opposition."

Other democrats in the race to replace retiring Rep. Ed Pastor, D-Ariz., include Mary Rose Wilcox, the Maricopa County Supervisor who publicly disapproved of Chavez, and Ruben Gallego, former state rep. Wilcox marched with Chavez for farmworkers rights in the '70s, and Gallego is endorsed by Dolores Huerta, who helped Chavez found the National Farmworkers Association, the Republic previously reported.
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Follow Scharon Harding on Twitter: @ScharHar.

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