Cesar Chavez's Grandson Sues Arizona Congressional Candidate for Changing Name to 'Cesar Chavez'
An Arizona candidate who changed his name to Cesar Chavez may see his name disappear from the ballot.
On Tuesday, Alejandro Chavez, grandson of Mexican-American labor leader Cesar Chavez, filed a legal challenge to get the man's name removed from the ballot, reports Reuters. Scott Fistler changed his name and his party to appeal to Latino voters in the seventh congressional district, which is made up of mostly Hispanics.
"We believe he is trying to corrupt the process," said attorney Jim Barton, who filed the challenge in the Maricopa County Superior Court.
Not only does Alejandro Chavez believe his grandfather's name is being used to win votes, the suit also said that Fistler did not get enough signatures to get on the ballot.
Fistler changed his name last year, and he has run two times before as a GOP candidate. He didn't get many votes.
Fistler said that he has "experienced many hardships because of my name."
He has received a lot of press coverage, and just as much criticism.
"I think that's really poor taste," said Mary Rose Wilcox, a Democrat also running. "My husband and I grew up under the leadership of Cesar Chavez [the labor leader], and he means so much to our community. Voters aren't going to be fooled. If he thinks he can fool them, it's a real affront to the community. He should be ashamed."
Previously, Alejandro Chavez said that it's not the first time someone has used Cesar Chavez's name to get ahead.
"The people who do carry on his legacy shine," he said. "Those who try to ride his coattails for a political agenda, it's apparent. You just kind of have to brush it off. If we spent our time going after this sort of thing, we wouldn't have time to carry on his legacy through the Cesar Chavez Foundation, which provides real help to Latino families and farmers."
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