Alaska elects the Governor and the Lieutenant Governor as a team, in both in the primary and the general election. This year, the winning candidate for Governor, Democrat Jonathan Kreiss-Tompkins, chose an independent running mate, Zac Johnson. They were on the ballot with the party label “Democratic/independent” to reflect that the two did not share the same affiliation.
Earlier this month, the Wyoming Constitution Party gubernatorial nominee, Rebecca Bextel, polled 16.78%. This is the highest percentage for any minor party in the history of Wyoming gubernatorial elections. The previous record had been set in 1894, when the Peoples’ Party nominee, Lewis Tidball, polled 11.3%.
Wyoming is one of two states in 2026 when the Democratic Party’s gubernatorial placed third. The other is Rhode Island, where independent Ken Block placed second.
The Wyoming Secretary of State has released the official results. See them here. The Libertarian Party nominee for U.S. House, Shawn Johnson, polled 7.46%, the highest minor party showing for Wyoming’s U.S. House seat since 1920. In 1920, the Labor Party nominee, James Morgan, received 10.67%.
Johnson has been a member of the Casper City Council.
The Wyoming petition requirement for statewide independent candidates and new parties in 2028 will be 3,686 signatures.
Michael Heise, Bret Weinstein, and others seem to favor persuading Congressman Thomas Massie to run for President outside the two major parties. They also seem to believe that the only feasible way to put Massie on 2028 ballots is to seize the Libertarian Party. See this news story.
They appear to be overlooking the existence of many other minor parties that are ballot-qualified, and which might be more amenable to a possible Massie candidacy. They also seem to exaggerate the Libertarian Party’s success in being universally ballot-qualified. The Libertarian Party is currently on the 2028 ballot in 32 states, which is far from 51.
Massie is conceivably a better fit for the Constitution Party than he is for the Libertarian Party. He is pro-life, and an opponent of birthright citizenship. The Constitution Party is ballot-qualified in ten states: Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Michigan, Mississippi, Nevada, South Carolina, Utah, West Virginia, and Wyoming. It is halfway through its North Carolina petition.
In addition, there are other ballot-qualified parties in other states that plausibly could be brought into the Massie movement. The No Labels Party is on the ballot in Arizona, Colorado, Delaware, and Oregon. The Arizona party has its own officers and had candidates this year, but the other three are completely bereft of officers and activists. They only remain on the ballot because their registration is sufficient to keep them qualified.
In addition, there is the American Independent Party in California, the Natural Law Party in Michigan, the America First Party in Nebraska, and the Independent American Party in Utah.
It should be emphasized that Massie has not decided to run for President in 2028, and even if he does decide to run for President, it would probably be as a Republican.
The Libertarian Party will submit its Maryland petition for party status in 2028 and 2030 soon, either this month or the first week of December.
