Kathleen Curry, Former Colorado Legislator Who Switched to Independent and was Barred from the Ballot, Will Try Again

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Kathleen Curry is an independent candidate for the Colorado legislature this year. She had been a Democratic member of the Colorado House, and in 2009 had switched to become an independent. At the time Colorado refused to let any independent candidate on the ballot if he or she had been a member of a qualified party at any time during the preceding year, so she was not permitted to be on the November 2010 ballot. She had run as a write-in in November, and had come very close to winning. She is running as an independent again this year, and she should have no trouble getting on the ballot.

Ironically, the legislature passed her bill in 2009 to ease the independent candidate restriction, but the bill did not take effect in time to help her. Instead it went into effect in 2011.

Major Party Endorsements in California Seem Amazingly Effective

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At California’s June 5 primary, 154 partisan races were up. The Democratic Party made endorsements in 114 of the races, and the Republican Party made endorsements in 100 of the races. The party endorsements were included in Voter Pamphlets mailed to each registered voter.

Out of the 214 endorsements, there are only six instances at which the endorsed candidate failed to receive the highest vote among that party’s candidates. The two Republican instances were: (1) in the 51st U.S. House district in San Diego and Imperial Counties, endorsed candidate Xanthi Gionis received fewer votes than Mike Crimmins; (2) in the 32nd Assembly district in the San Joaquin Valley, endorsed candidate Jon McQuiston received fewer votes than Pedro Rios.

The four Democratic instances were: (1) in the 31st State Senate district in Riverside, endorsed candidate Steve Clute received fewer votes than Richard Roth; (2) in the 5th Assembly district in the Sierra Nevada mountains, endorsed candidate Marc Boyd received fewer votes than Tim Fitzgerald; (3) in the 44th Assembly district in Ventura County, endorsed candidate Tom Mullens received fewer votes than Eileen MacEnery; (4) in the 57th Assembly district in southeast Los Angeles County, endorsed candidate Rudy Bermudez received fewer votes than Ian Charles Calderon, although that race is so close, the remaining ballots to be counted might change it. Thanks to Dave Kadlecek for finding three errors in the original post.

Los Angeles Times Says Few Centrists Advance in California’s New Primary System

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The June 7 Los Angeles Times has this story, headlined, “Few centrists advance in California’s new primary system.” The story also says, “Experts predict that the new primary rules will result in perhaps the costliest legislative campaigns in state history, increasing the power of the special interests that fund them.”

The Los Angeles Times had strongly backed Proposition 14, the “top two open primary” ballot measure, in June 2010.

Arizona Legislature Files Lawsuit to Reclaim Authority to Draw U.S. House District Boundaries

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On June 7, the Arizona legislature filed a lawsuit in federal court, arguing that the U.S. Constitution’s Article One requires that only state legislatures can draw U.S. House district boundaries. In Arizona, an independent redistricting commission draws the boundaries.

The Arizona legislature has a large Republican majority. A few months ago, Republicans were so displeased with the 2011 U.S. House district boundaries that Republican Governor Jan Brewer and the State Senate removed the chair of the redistricting commission. However, the State Supreme Court then reinstated the Chair.

The case is Arizona State Legislature v Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission, 2:12cv-1211. The Complaint asks for a three-judge court.

Objectivist Party Expects to Place Presidential Ticket on Ballot in Two States

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Sometime in 2010, at an event in St. Louis, the Objectivist Party nominated Thomas Stevens for President for the 2012 election. The 2012 vice-presidential nominee is Alden Link. The same pair ran in 2008, and received 755 votes in the entire nation. For the 2012 election, the ticket is already on the ballot in Colorado, and expects to be on in Florida.