On July 28, the ballot-qualified Natural Law Party of Michigan nominated Emidio “Mimi” Soltysik for President, and Angela Walker for Vice-President. They are also the nominees of the Socialist Party.
In 2012, the Natural Law Party nominated Rocky Anderson, Justice Party presidential nominee. In 2008 it nominated Ralph Nader. In 2004 it nominated Walt Brown, that year’s Socialist Party presidential nominee. The Natural Law Party is the last surviving renmant of the Natural Law Party, which was active in elections 1992-2002. It remains on the ballot in Michigan because Michigan has a very easy vote test for a party to remain on.
The Natural Law party still exists dejure in New Jersey for purposes of party registration, I am unaware as to if there is a party committee or not, but the state of new jersey still legally recognizes the party as a minor political party.
On another note, this is bad news for the Peace and Freedom Party, given their lack of resources, cross endorsements are their only real hope at achieving 270 ballot access. I doubt the Socialist Party will get cross nominated by the Peace and Freedom Party, so it doesn’t look like they will make 270 either.
The New Jersey status just means the state tallies the number of registered voters in the Natural Law Party, but the Natural Law Party in New Jersey has no other privileges from the state, nor does it have any existence. New Jersey also continues to count registrations in the Conservative Party of New Jersey, which no longer exists either.
New Jersey state government has no objective criteria for deciding which groups can have their voter registrations tallied. New Jersey only tallies groups that once sued the state to get voter registration rights. New Jersey has no mechanism to stop tallying such groups, so even when they cease to exist, the tally continues, forever.
“New Jersey only tallies groups that once sued the state to get voter registration rights.”
Are you aware of any process in NJ for new parties to start being tallied? Or is a lawsuit the only path?
There is a House of Representatives candidate running as Conservative Party Candidate this year, so there is at least someone out there conducting some activity in the name of that party.
AMcCarrick- There is no process, the only reason the state allows minor parties for purposes of registration and conducting financial activity is because there is case law forcing it to do so. The only way to get the state to recognize a political party as a minor party in NJ is to sue. The Socialist Party recently became a recognized party in NJ via lawsuit.
“I doubt the Socialist Party will get cross nominated by the Peace and Freedom Party, so it doesn’t look like they will make 270 either.”
The Socialist Party isn’t trying to get cross-nominated by Peace and Freedom. The small socialist parties are a mess and keep nudging one another for ballot access as if they’re fighting over scraps. Gloria La Riva of the Party for Socialism and Liberation and Monica Moorehead of the Workers World Party are fighting for the Peace and Freedom nomination. It will likely go to La Riva. La Riva already has ballot access in a few states due to petitioning and filing and she was nominated by the Liberty Union Party in Vermont. If Moorehead gets the Peace and Freedom nomination, she will only be on the ballot in California because she’s not really trying to get on the ballot anywhere else despite having the Workers World nom. Her, La Riva, Alyson Kennedy of Socialist Workers, and Mimi Soltysik of Socialist Party USA are really just scrambling around like chickens with their heads cut off. If all the socialist parties combined (instead of further splitting apart; Workers World and Party for Socialism and Liberation used to be one party), they could actually get something done (or at least appear competent). They would especially be effective if they all folded into the Green Party. But, they prefer to fight over scraps and look like gnats swarming over limited ballot access in handful of states. Shameful.
Are they still on about transcendental meditation? Que up the Donovan records. “Fly TransLove Airways, get you there on time…” Now where did I put my beads and Nehru jacket?
Cal… I’ve always found this hilarious. The socialist parties… the socialist parties, of all things, can’t come together and work as one party. Isn’t the whole point of socialism to be one unified mass for the greater good?
Yet, the party of individuals and individualism is holding tight in ONE party; the Libertarian Party. It would seem far more logical if the Socialist Party was one unified party and the libertarians were running around circles in 10 different parties.
I am disappointed in this selection. I consider it a waste of the ballot line. They should have at least waited to see who the “Better for America” candidate is (if there is one) and the Reform Party candidate. The NLP-Michigan gives ballot lines to candidates with no regard to the ideology of the candidate. They openly court people who would run as independents by basically giving them a ballot line with no need to petition.
I would have actually preferred if they had put Jim Hedges on the ticket. Normally I would think of the Prohibition Party candidate as being fringe, but Hedges progressive positions on health care and the environment actually makes him something of a centrist. It would have been a better fit.
I’m surprised they didn’t nominate Rocky De La Fuente.
I was thinking that, too, Jeremy. But, I think I know the reason. Michigan has a “sore loser” law preventing someone who was in one party’s primary from being nominated by another party. Michigan did not allow the LP to place Gary Johnson’s name on the ballot in 2012 because he was on the Michigan GOP primary ballot. Rocky was on the Democratic ballot in 2016, and would not have been allowed on the NLP ballot line.
Oh hadn’t thought of that.
I’m disappointed because I personally had been promoting a Vermin Supreme/Jimmy McMillian ticket for the NLP-MI. I think this makes Michigan the only state Soltysik is on the ballot.
Any word on who, if anyone, the new Michigan Working Class Party plans on nominating for POTUS?
How disappointing… I agree with Michigan Voter – Jim Hedges would have been a better choice.
Michigan law sets the primary date (today) as the deadline for alternative parties to hold nominating conventions and caucuses. Nominees must be certified the business day after a convention/caucus closes. The law does allow for a Presidential ticket to be certified the business day after the national or state convention, whichever is later — and the NLP-MI convention is essentially the NLP national convention. But if they’d waited until after today to convene, they could only have nominated a Presidential ticket — and they’d have had to rely on that ticket to retain their ballot line.