Idaho election law says a party may remain on the ballot indefinitely as long as it continues to run at least 3 candidates (the package of president, vice-president and electors counts as one). This year, the United Party of Idaho (a centrist party, somewhat like the Reform Party) nominated 3 candidates. However, one of them moved out of his legislative district, and was removed from the November ballot. Therefore, the party only has 2 candidates, not 3.
The law also permits a party to remain on the ballot if it polled for any candidate for federal or state office, a number of votes equal to 3% of the vote cast for governor or president (whichever is on the ballot that year). Idaho has two U.S. House districts. The party is not running any candidates for statewide office, but it has an energetic candidate, Andy Hedden-Nicely, running for U.S. House. Therefore, he needs approximately 6% of the vote in his race, to keep his party qualified for 2008 (since the district includes approximately half of the state, it isn’t enough for him to poll 3%; he needs a vote equal to 3% of the vote cast for Governor in the entire state, yet only half the state can vote for Hedden-Nicely).
Tish Firmiss (Chula Vista) and Donald Lake (Barstow) drove over 1000 miles (1600K) to stump for Andrew at Boise’s Veterans Park on Hiroshima Day (August 6th). These guys appear to be the real deal. Still waiting for reformists, CUIP, VETSparty, Unity08, and or ‘Purple Power’ Moderate Party recommendations or endorsements. We have endorsed them for months, expecially as they took Richard Winger’s (and Philip Sawyer’s and Don Lake’s) April 2004 advice and used the shell of the Idaho Natural Law Party to carve out United Party.
As far as I know, unless he has moved, Andy Hedden-Nicely lives in the 2nd Congressional District portion of Boise. So I am not sure why or how he can run to represent the 1st District. This has not come up in the media at all.