Republican Rep. Chris Collins will remain on the ballot in November despite suspending his re-election bid last month, his attorney confirmed Monday. Mark Braden, Collins’ attorney, cited possible legal challenges that could result from efforts to remove Collins from the ballot. Collins faces charges of securities fraud, wire fraud and false statements related to alleged insider trading. Collins has rejected the charges as “meritless” and vowed to fight them. However, he last month announced that he would suspend his re-election campaign, saying he believed his decision was in the “best interests” of his constituents. National and state Republican officials had hoped to replace Collins on the ballot in light of his legal troubles,, but now his decision to move forward with his re-election could put his solidly Republican seat in jeopardy.
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