Bitter Wolf Sets Off on Quest for Primary Petition Signatures.

Unhappy Republican U.S. senate hopeful August Wolf, humiliated at Monday night’s nominating convention, announced he has made a rendezvous with failure. The Fairfield County Republican announced Wednesday that he’ll seek to collect more than 8,000 signatures to force a summer primary against endorsed candidate Dan Carter, a state representative.

Wolf, like all who came before him, is about to be surprised. Republicans are dispersed around the state, making the collection of signatures a long march. Getting the required number and a buffer for errors requires a lot of Republican boots on the ground. Wolf ended with 123 delegates at the convention. The volatile candidate lost significant support during the treacherous switch phase of the balloting.

The aging former athlete found drug testing a challenge in his heyday. That will be nothing compared to corralling disinterested Republicans into collecting signatures over the next four weeks. Wolf will not be making friends with party loyalists (the ones who know how to get signatures) with his mewling that the nominating convention was rigged by party bosses. No one can ever name a boss in the state party’s affairs.

Wolf may have one unexpected advantage. Carter appears to be relying on perennial Republican hanger-on Ben Proto for campaign advice. Veterans will test their gray cells trying to recall a candidate Proto helped across a November finish line first.