Arizona Official Suggests Obama Could Be Off Ballot

May 18, 2012

Arizona Official Suggests Obama Could Be Off Ballot

Arizona Secretary of State Ken Bennett (R) told KFYI he's not entirely convinced President Obama was really born in the United States and suggested he could be knocked off the state's presidential ballot.

Said Bennett: "I'm not a birther. I believe the president was born in Hawaii -- or at least I hope he was. But my responsibility as secretary of state is to make sure the ballots in Arizona are correct and that those people whose names are on the ballot have met the qualifications for the office they are seeking."

Bennett said he has been trying to get officials in Hawaii to verify the president's birth certificate for the last eight weeks.

Update: Bennett sends a statement: "First, I have been on the record since 2009 that I believe the President was born in Hawaii. I am not a birther. At the request of a constituent, I asked the state of Hawaii for a Verification in lieu of certified copy. We're merely asking them to officially confirm they have the President's birth certificate in their possession and are awaiting their response."

Here's the audio:

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Taegan D. Goddard is the founder of Political Wire, one of the earliest and most influential political web sites.

Goddard spent more than a decade as managing director and chief operating officer of a prominent investment firm in New York City. Previously, he was a policy adviser to a U.S. Senator and Governor.

Goddard is also co-author of You Won - Now What? (Scribner, 1998), a political management book hailed by prominent journalists and politicians from both parties. In addition, Goddard's essays on politics and public policy have appeared in dozens of newspapers across the country, including the Washington Post, USA Today, Boston Globe, San Francisco Chronicle, Chicago Tribune, Philadelphia Inquirer and Christian Science Monitor.

Goddard earned degrees from Vassar College and Harvard University. He lives in New York with his wife and three sons.

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May 18, 2012