Controversial FEC Nominee Withdraws

By Ben Pershing
Controversial Federal Election Commission nominee Hans von Spakovsky has withdrawn his name from consideration for the post, potentially clearing the way for a deal that could get the crippled agency back up and running.

Von Spakovsky, a former Justice Department lawyer and Republican nominee to the commission, told the White House Friday he was withdrawing his name. His candidacy has been at the center of a partisan standoff in the Senate, as Democrats strongly opposed him for his past work on voting rights issues. With four vacancies on the commission -- two from each party -- Democrats wanted to vote on each nominee separately so they could kill von Spakovsky's chances. But Republicans insisted on voting on all four nominees as a group, and neither side would budge.

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