Emails: Cruz camp pushing to oust Kasich from Montana ballot

(AP) — Ted Cruz's presidential campaign is trying to knock opponent John Kasich off Montana's primary by questioning signatures the Ohio governor's campaign submitted to qualify for the ballot — another subplot in the unfolding political drama to derail Donald Trump's presidential bid.

The Cruz campaign asserts Kasich's petition contains signatures with invalid notaries, improper dates, mismatched phone numbers and illegible names, among other potential discrepancies.

Because John Kasich's campaign filed only 622 signatures, and the minimum number of signatures required under Montana law is 500, there is a reasonable probability that material defects with his petitions reduce the number of valid signatures below the required minimum," the campaign said, "and John Kasich is therefore not eligible for placement on the ballot.

[...] a ballot battle in the Treasure State for precious delegates only underscores the high-stakes involved in the national contest as some Republicans seek to prevent Trump from winning the party nomination.