AUGUSTA, Maine (AP)   A Republican U.S. Senate candidate is fighting to stay on the ballot even though his lawyer admits some “hanky panky” led to the submission of fraudulent signatures.

Financial planner Max Linn wants to compete against Republican Sen. Eric Brakey in the GOP primary for the opportunity to try to unseat independent Sen. Angus King in November.

The two candidates submitted more than the 2,000 signatures needed to qualify for the ballot even though more than 200 of Linn’s signatures were found to be invalid.

On Tuesday, Linn faced questions from Brakey’s attorney about 46 additional signatures that could be duplicates or from deceased or unregistered voters.

Both sides agree that a criminal investigation is warranted. The secretary of state and a judge could weigh in on Linn’s candidacy this week.