The curious case of Andrew Tupone, the Green Party and PA’s 7th Congressional District

It hasn’t been easy being green for Andrew Tupone, the aspiring congressional candidate in Pennsylvania’s 7th Congressional District. 

Tupone, a longtime Republican who changed his party affiliation to the Democratic Party in February before ultimately settling on the Green Party, planned to run in this year’s congressional race against Republican U.S. Rep. Ryan Mackenzie and Democratic challenger Bob Brooks. He appeared to obtain the necessary signatures to run under the Green Party banner – but there was one major problem: The Green Party of Pennsylvania had never heard of him. 

Tupone, who filed more than 10,000 signatures in his effort to get on the ballot this November, said he had grown disillusioned with both major political parties and decided to run as a Green Party candidate after briefly considering a Democratic bid. Democrats accused him of being a Republican Party plant entering the race to pull votes away from Brooks, while the Green Party of Pennsylvania said he had no affiliation with them and that “an effort to achieve ballot access in an un-transparent manner is underway.”

What followed was a months-long battle over Tupone’s candidacy, with Tupone fighting to stay on the ballot as Democrats and Greens alike sought to remove him from the ballot ahead of this November’s general election. In early September, Commonwealth Court Judge Stella Tsai ordered Tupone to be removed from the ballot; Tupone has vowed to keep fighting and said he has already filed an appeal. 

Below, City & State examines the timeline of events that led to Tupone’s removal from the ballot in Pennsylvania’s 7th Congressional District race – and what may come next in the battle for this crucial Lehigh Valley seat.

July 21, 2026: In mid-June, the Green Party of Pennsylvania sent out a press release warning Pennsylvania voters that several candidates were seeking to make the November general election ballot as Green Party candidates – without the support of the Green Party. 

The party noted that some unendorsed candidates who publicly claimed to represent the Green Party “only recently changed their affiliation to the Green Party after previously being registered as Democrats, Republicans or Independents.”

“It is apparent that an effort to achieve ballot access in an un-transparent manner is underway,” the party said.

July 30, 2026: Punchbowl News reported on July 30 that Tupone, who was registered as a Republican as recently as 2025, had submitted signatures to run as a Green Party candidate in this year’s election in the state’s 7th Congressional District. He told the outlet that no one recruited him to run and that he didn’t pay anyone to circulate petitions for his nomination. 

“People are fed up with both parties and over 9,000 voters want to see another option on the ballot,” he said in a statement to the outlet. However, Punchbowl reported that some Pennsylvania residents were approached about signing Tupone’s nomination petitions, and those circulating them said they were being paid to collect signatures. “One petitioner said he was making $30 an hour but wouldn’t say who was paying him,” Punchbowl reported.

According to a press release announcing his candidacy, Tupone's top agenda items include addressing affordability and ending corruption in politics. He also said he supports “fighting climate change” and “ending the genocide in Gaza.”

Tupone has worked in the public and private sectors and is a certified emergency medical technician. 

Aug. 10, 2026: Tupone’s nominating papers faced two separate objections. One objection came from the Green Party of Pennsylvania itself, which accused Tupone of trying to mislead voters by misrepresenting his relationship with the party, as he was not endorsed by the party or encouraged to run for the seat by party officials. 

Tina Olson, a Green Party voter from Northampton County who has been registered with the party since 2020, said in a statement that she was alarmed to learn that Tupone was running as a Green Party candidate. “I have been a resident of the Lehigh Valley for over 30 years and a registered Green Party voter since 2020. I have been a contact person for the Lehigh Valley Greens and have never heard of Andrew Tupone,” Olson said.  

“What was most alarming is that Tupone bypassed the entire rigorous vetting process to use our party name without approval,” she added. “This should lead voters to speculate on Tupone’s possible nefarious motives. He should not remain on the ballot, falsely claiming that he represents the Green Party.”

The other objection came from three 7th Congressional District voters – Joyce Moore, Susan Baranek and Louise Dillensnyder – who, in making their case for Tupone’s removal as a 7th Congressional District candidate, labeled him as “a spoiler candidate to distract progressive voters with that party label in an effort to reelect Congressman Ryan Mackenzie.” 

Their legal objection stated that several people circulating petitions for Tupone were from outside the state, and “include multiple recent Republican candidates for office, Libertarian Party leaders, and at least one individual with a serious criminal record.” The filing alleged that one of the circulators was Colin McEvers, a resident of Anne Arundel County, Maryland, and a current Republican candidate seeking a seat in the Maryland House of Delegates’ 32nd District. 

Aug. 20, 2026: According to a transcript from an Aug. 20 hearing on the voters’ objection to Tupone’s nomination papers, McEvers spent about two weeks circulating petitions for Tupone and was paid to do so, but not by Tupone. He said a colleague told him about the opportunity and directed him to a person named David working on the ground in Pennsylvania. McEvers said he didn’t recall David’s last name, and said he was paid $7 per signature collected via Venmo by a company called 1st Amendment Pros, or 1st Amendment Professionals. 

Tupone’s attorney, prominent GOP lawyer Wally Zimolong, pointed out that it’s not illegal to pay individuals to collect signatures. “Circulators are often paid. They’re often paid in the case of smaller-party candidates because it’s hard to find people,” he said in the deposition reviewed by City & State. 

During the hearing, Tupone said he filed his nomination papers in coordination with his attorneys and did not know who filed them with the state. He said he did not personally pay anyone to circulate petitions for him. 

Zimolong also challenged the motivations behind the objections to Tupone’s candidacy, asserting that the two challenges were for political gain. “Let’s make it clear this isn’t about adherence to the Election Code. It’s for political gain. The Democrat (sic) Party wants Mr. Tupone off the ballot,” he said. 

Sept. 4, 2026: In an opinion filed in early September, Tsai ordered Tupone to be removed from the ballot, noting that the court’s analysis “respects the internal governance of political bodies and protects political bodies from external forces hijacking those bodies.”

The opinion noted that Tupone asserted his right to be the nominee of the Green Party without the party’s nomination, making the case that “signatures are the nomination.”

“This cannot be the case, because the electors signing the nomination papers in support of the person appearing on the ballot are not necessarily members of the Green Party,” Tsai wrote. “To hold otherwise would allow non-Green Party electors to select the candidate for the Green Party, usurping the Green Party’s ability to nominate its own candidate.” 

Tsai wrote in her opinion that the court found Tupone’s testimony to be “largely credible,” while adding that “he was less than forthcoming about the type and level of assistance he received from others in the circulation and filing of his nomination papers.”

Green Party of Pennsylvania Co-chair Tom Runkle said in a statement that the decision “ensures voters can be confident that when they see a Green on the ballot that person has committed to the Four Pillars and Ten Key Values of the Green Party of Pennsylvania.

“We do not tolerate the underhanded and deceptive tactics which have soured our elections and discourage participation. The members of the two corporate parties have their primary elections to decide their representation,” he added. “Green voters are prevented from such privilege; our members, however, nominate Green candidates, and Judge Tsai has determined that must be respected in accordance with the laws of the Commonwealth.”

Tupone, however, vowed to appeal the decision, stating that 7th Congressional District voters deserve a progressive choice in this year’s election.

“The establishment parties are fighting to keep me off the ballot but I’m not backing down. I will continue this fight and have already filed an appeal to this decision because the people of the 7th congressional district deserve a real choice and a true progressive candidate who will stand up for them,” he said in a statement.

“This fight isn’t over,” he added. “I’m going to keep fighting for the voters to have an option and for the representation our community deserves.”