State Sen. Nikil Saval can expect a second term after primary challenger Allen King is booted from ballot

Allen King III, who planned to challenge State Sen. Nikil Saval in the Democratic primary, was removed from the ballot, essentially guaranteeing Saval will win a second term representing his Philadelphia district.

King, a consultant and first-time candidate, faced a challenge that refuted the validity of his campaign documents and residency. King admitted in a court document that the objection had merit and agreed to be removed from the ballot rather than face a court hearing Wednesday.

In response, Commonwealth Court Judge Lori Dumas ordered King to be removed from the ballot for the 1st Senatorial District, which spans from Fishtown through Center City and South Philly to the east of Broad Street, and from the Delaware River to the airport in deep South Philly.

Saval, 41, now faces no primary challengers. The progressive secured his first four-year term in 2020 after defeating longtime incumbent State Sen. Larry Farnese. There is no Republican running in the district, where Democrats hold a sizable advantage in voter registration.

» READ MORE: John Fetterman endorses progressive State Sen. Nikil Saval despite difference of views

Seven Democratic voters in the state Senate district filed the challenge against King’s candidacy Feb. 20, using research from Saval’s campaign. King signed a letter Tuesday that said the objection was “meritorious” and that the court should order the removal of his name from the ballot.

King had listed Hagert Lofts, an East Kensington building, as his residence on his voter registration and candidate affidavit. But Odin Properties, which owns the building, confirmed last week to Adam Bonin, who represented the voters filing the challenge, that there was no record of him being a tenant.

“Residents of the First Senatorial District deserve candidates who can at least clear the bare minimum of residency requirements and authentic nomination petitions,” said Anthony Campisi, a spokesperson for Saval’s campaign. “With this distraction behind us, we’re excited at the momentum our campaign is generating and will now redouble our fight for working families in Harrisburg.”

Candidates are required to have lived in the district they’re running in for a year before the election. King changed his voter registration Jan. 29, nearly a week after the petition period had already begun.

According to Saval’s campaign, King was registered to vote in Montgomery County as recently as Jan. 10, and before that, he was registered in Delaware County.

King’s campaign focused on addressing gun violence, pointing to the murder of his sister Rachel King, a popular charter schoolteacher and Elkins Park resident who was shot in front of her 11-year-old son last year in a Montgomery County drive-thru.

In a statement Wednesday, King said he had suspended his campaign. He did not address any of the allegations or mention the ballot challenge, and instead said his “commitment to the people of the first district compels me to step back when I cannot dedicate the full measure of my focus and energy” and criticized Saval’s progressive views.

“This chapter may be closing, but my journey in politics and public service is just beginning,” King said. “The fight to make our community a safer, more prosperous place continues, and I am more committed than ever to being a part of that change.”

His campaign previously declined to comment on the allegations in the challenge.

» READ MORE: Two Pa. Democratic campaigns face allegations of forgeries on petitions ahead of primary

Candidates for state Senate are required to gather 500 signatures from district residents to get a spot on the ballot. The challenge also argued that 1,227 of King’s 1,351 signatures were invalid. If true, King would have been left with just 124 signatures, or just under a quarter of what’s required.

King’s campaign had listed at least three Temple University students as circulators who were also listed as collecting signatures for Lehigh County Controller Mark Pinsley, who is running against State Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta for auditor general. Saval’s campaign alleged that the signatures on two of those circulators’ petitions “look egregiously forged.”

The stipulation King signed to withdraw from the ballot didn’t specifically address any of the allegations from the challenge.

At least three elected officials confirmed with The Inquirer that their names were forged on Pinsley’s petitions. The Chester County District Attorney’s Office opened an investigation last month, which is ongoing.