On March 26, a Superior Court in Sacramento removed a California Republican from the primary ballot on the grounds that he only has 38 valid signatures, instead of 40 signatures. See this story. This is the case involving the U.S. House race, 17th district. A supporter of the leading Republican candidate in the race had argued that the two other Republicans who filed at the last minute are “sham” candidates, who entered the race to injure the chances that the Republican who filed first can poll enough votes to qualify for the November ballot. The second “sham” candidate remains on the ballot, because the court found no legal reason to remove him. Thanks to AroundtheCapitol for the link.
Maybe a trading card manufacturer could put out a series of cards on the top-two system and the utility and irresistible temptation to recruit sham candidates could be card #63.