Bryan's candidacy challanged

Ray Bryan

Anniston lawyer Ray Bryan, who is running as a Republican for state auditor, is one of 18 GOP candidates whose qualifications to seek the office have been challenged by fellow party members. State Republican Party chairman Bill Armistead said Bryan and 17 other candidates "have been invited to appear before the Alabama Republican Party this weekend to respond to challenges" against their candidacy.  Bryan, who announced his run last summer, was one of five Republicans who qualified to run for state auditor when qualifying ended Feb. 7. One Democrat, Birmingham resident Miranda Joseph, is also in the race.  Bryan said his goal if elected is  to abolish the state auditor's office, which keeps an inventory of all personal property owned by the state with a value of more than $500. Bryan said he hoped to fold the organization into the Examiners of Public Accounts, the audit agency within the legislative branch.  Armistead declined to discuss the reason for the challenge to Bryan's candidacy. He said several candidates were challenged on a variety of grounds.  Technical issues cost Bryan a public position in the past. In 2008, he won the Republican nomination in the race for a Circuit Court judgeship, with no Democratic opponent -- but his election was later decertified because he was late filing a campaign finance report. Bryan said unclear instructions and the closure of the Secretary of State's office for Jefferson Davis's birthday, a state holiday, led to the late filing.  Bryan is the only Anniston-area politician on Armistead's list of 18 challenged candidacies. The list includes seven candidates for the Legislature, Fourth District congressional candidate Thomas Drake, a handful of judgeship and county commission candidates and a few people running for positions within the party.