The front-runner in Iowa’s Democratic US Senate primary will be on the June ballot after all after the state Supreme Court overturned a judge’s ruling that she didn’t have enough valid signatures on her nominating petition.

Abby Finkenauer’s campaign appeared to have been dealt a devastating blow earlier this week when Polk County District Judge Scott Beattie ruled she had failed to submit a petition with at least 100 signatures from each of at least 19 counties.

However, the Iowa Supreme Court ruled that Finkenauer had met the requirements, affirming a previous decision made by an election panel, according to the Des Moines Register. 

That panel had found in March that Finkenauer’s campaign had barely met the county requirement, garnering 100 signatures in one jurisdiction and 101 from each of two others. 

Republicans had challenged the validity of the signatures and Beattie had sided with them, ruling that three signatures did not include the date and thus could not be counted against the county requirement.

Finkenauer’s campaign quickly appealed Beattie’s ruling, while denouncing it as “misguided” and an “outrageous and partisan gift to the Washington Republicans who orchestrated this meritless legal action.”

The Hawkeye State’s high court had to rule on the matter by Friday to allow for the secretary of state’s office to finalize ballots to be printed and sent to Iowans serving in the military overseas. 

Finkenauer, a former member of the US House of Representatives who only served one term before being unseated in 2020, is seeking the Democratic nomination June 7 to face off against incumbent Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley, who is seeking his eighth term.

The two other Democratic primary candidates include retired Navy admiral and former Ted Kennedy aide Michael Franken and Iowa Democratic Party Rural Caucus Chairman Glenn Hurst. 

Grassley is heavily favored to win the Republican primary later this year against state Sen. Jim Carlin.