On May 14, a lower Mississippi state court ordered the Democratic Party to accept George Dale as a candidate for Insurance Commissioner. The court also said that it was without authority to consider putting Dale on the ballot as an independent candidate. The case is Dale v Mississippi Democratic Party, 251-07-268, Hinds County.

Dale is the state’s Insurance Commissioner. He has always been elected as a Democrat. This year, when he filed for re-election as a Democrat, the party refused to accept his declaration of candidacy, since he had endorsed President Bush for re-election in 2004. He then sued the Democratic Party. Later he said he didn’t want to run as a Democrat anymore and his lawsuit asked that he be listed as an independent, conditional on collecting the needed 1,000 signatures quite soon. In the meantime the Democratic Party had said they would list him, but then they again said they wouldn’t. Thanks to Steve Rankin for this news.