The ballot-qualified Reform Party of New York held its state convention on Sunday, May 20. For statewide office in New York, candidates who show some support at the state convention are automatically placed on the party’s primary ballot, with no need for a primary petition. The Reform Party delegates gave enough support to each of four candidates for Attorney General that there will be a 4-way Reform Party primary for that office, if none of the four candidates withdraw.
The Reform Party is exercising its right to invite independent voters to vote in the party’s primaries, so the 2018 Reform Party primary will be the first in New York state history to include any independents who wish to vote in that primary. The Independence Party, which is also ballot-qualified, also lets independents vote in its primaries, but it hasn’t had any statewide office primaries since it adopted that policy.
The Reform Party primary candidates for Attorney General include Preet Bharara, who has not said that he wants to run for Attorney General. He is well-known because President Trump fired him last year from his position as U.S. Attorney for New York. If he doesn’t wish to run, he will withdraw. The other Attorney General candidates are Nancy Regula (a member of the Reform Party), Democratic candidate Michael Diederich, and Libertarian Chris Garvey.
For Governor, the Reform Party convention backed Marc Molinaro, who will probably be the Republican and Conservative nominee also. For Comptroller the Reform Party backs incumbent Democrat Thomas DiNapoli.
The Reform Party only has 1,882 registered voters, but election officials will be forced to print a very large number of Reform primary ballots because no one can predict how many independent voters will want to choose a Reform Party primary. The primary for state office is September 13.
“If he doesn’t wish to run, he will withdraw.”
So Preet, who has not expressed interest in the Reform nomination as of yet, must affirmatively withdraw if he doesn’t want to be on the ballot? I’m surprised candidates don’t have to submit a declaration of candidacy affirmatively stating they will run, but rather the burden is on the person with no intention of running to withdraw from the race.
I believe the threshold is 15 percent at the convention on any ballot.
Yet another reason/machination to have NO primaries.
—-
PR and AppV
Now is this the National Reform Party or the rogue faction?
I’m sure there will be problems with this at many locations. I bet a lot of poll workers will be unfamiliar with this situation when they show up on primary day, and lots of voters will end up not casting their ballot due to frustration with the process.
Karl, the Mississippi Reform Party is on the ballot and does not consider itself part of the national Reform Party. But the New York Reform Party has a friendly relationship with the national Reform Party officers, even though the New York Reform Party did not originate with the Reform Party that was formed nationally in 1995.
I hope to become the Reform Party and Democratic Party candidate for the Office of New York State Attorney General. I attended, and was impressed, by the NYS Reform Party at its state convention last Sunday. The party seems truly interested in quality candidates without regard to political affiliation and ideology. I am a registered Democrat and consider myself a moderate. I represent people in my law practice. My platform for NYS AG will be:
1) to safeguard democracy in NYS and the Nation, against threats foreign and domestic (including but not limited to striving for an educated and informed citizenry that exercises its right to vote, and that is not deceived by cyber-misinformation); and
2) safeguarding individual rights and freedoms, especially against powerful and wealthy interest groups.
One ever-growing problem here in New York (and in the Nation) is the poor education of children in not only the “3 Rs”, but also in understanding how the world and viable democracy works, including studying history, civics and science (including the developing science relating to human nature). I hope to make this a topic of public discussion among the AG and other public office candidates.
the New York Reform Party has a “Friendly relationship with the national Reform Party officers”….really, and that’s why the national party sued the NY Party….interesting analysis Richard
To Nick: Because he is not a member of the Reform Party, Preet does have to affirmatively accept his nomination within a few days. Otherwise he will not appear on the ballot. There is no indication that he will accept.
To Tim: It is 25% on any ballot.
To Karl: It is neither. It is a New-York-only ballot-access party, formerly called the Stop Common Core Party, created in the 2014 election when Republican Gov candidate Rob Astorino got 50,000 votes on his newly created line. There is no relation to any national party, although they’ve threatened to sue to stop the state party from using the name.
To Richard: The relations are no longer friendly after the 2016 primary when independent members were elected to the State Committee and took over from the Republican/Natl Reform alliance that nominally ran the party for its first 2 years of existence.