A challenge

to state Senate candidate Mitch Seabaugh's qualification

for office has been dismissed.

Seabaugh is

one of three Republicans running for incumbent 28th

District Sen. Rick Price's seat. The district encompasses

parts of Fayette, Spalding and Coweta counties.

Republicans

are crying "foul" in the incident, in which

Democrats challenged 17 candidates in an apparent attempt

to disqualify one unknown candidate whom an observer had

allegedly seen qualifying after the noon deadline April

28. All but one of the 17 challenges were dismissed

Monday morning,

All the

candidates were on time, said Linda Hamrick, executive

director of the state Republican Party. "We've got

witnesses," said Hamrick. "I helped clear the

room at the end of qualifying, and everyone qualified

before the deadline," she said.

"It's

curious that they would go to such extremes with the

taxpayers' money," said Hamrick. "I guess they

were worried about losing power."

But a state

Democratic Party spokesman said the party challenged the

candidates only in the interest of fair play. "We

were just trying to make sure that everybody plays by the

rules," he said, adding that the party voluntarily

dropped all the challenges except one when it discovered

that the candidates filed on time after all.

Fayette

Democratic Party Chairman Ernest Broadwell filed the

challenge against Seabaugh, he said, after a state party

official phoned him and asked him to. Challenges must be

filed by residents of the candidate's district.

Broadwell

said he was under the impression that the state official

had personally seen Seabaugh qualify late, but later

learned that wasn't the case.

"I was

a little bit reluctant at the time, and I don't think

I'll do that again," he said. "I didn't see

it."

Seabaugh

said Monday he asked Democratic Party officials to let

him present evidence to them that proved he qualified on

time, but received no response.

In a letter

to Broadwell, he said, "It is my hope that after you

see my evidence, you will withdraw your complaint and

help save the taxpayers of this state some of their tax

dollars."

The lack of

response, he said, "shows there was no desire on the

part of Mr. Broadwell or the Democratic Party to resolve

the matter quickly and as cost effectively as

possible."

Officials

of the state Democratic Party did not return phone calls

from The Citizen.