Challenge rules out Linn County candidate

A Linn County “challenge board” has ruled one candidate for the democratic nomination for county attorney isn’t eligible to be on the ballot. Brent Nine challenged signatures for Gregory Hughes were disqualified, leaving him three short of the total needed to get onto the June 4 primary ballot. The board also ruled that Hughes wouldn’t qualify for the term starting in January because he won’t yet be admitted to practice law in Iowa. The ruling means there will be no primary for the county attorney’s race, leaving assistant county attorney Harold Denton, a democrat, to oppose republican state representative Pat Shea for the office in November.