The California Peace & Freedom presidential primary ballot will include Cynthia McKinney. She is also appearing on the California Green Party presidential primary. That makes two individuals who are running in two simultaneous presidential primaries in the same state; the other is Ralph Nader, also in those same two California parties. It is believed that McKinney and Nader are the first two individuals in history to have their names on the ballot for president in two political party presidential primaries (in the same state) simultaneously.
The final list of which candidates are appearing on each California party’s presidential primary will be set on November 7.
In March, 1976, Alabama Governor George C. Wallace ran in the Massachusetts Democratic and American Party primaries.
Michael makes a good point, but I believe George Wallace was a write-in candidate in the American Party presidential primary in Massachusetts in 1976. Wallace was on the Democratic presidential primary ballot. In the American Party presidential primary, the official election returns show that 905 votes were cast, as follows: 510 scattered write-ins, 211 blanks, 98 “no preference”, George Wallace 86.
The election returns don’t indicate which candidates are listed on the ballot and which are write-ins. This is obvious when one looks at the Democratic presidential primary election returns for the same year in Massachusetts. Edward M. Kennedy is recorded as receiving 1,623 votes. Clearly these are write-ins, because Kennedy was not a candidate in any presidential primary in 1976, even though many tried to draft him. He was a candidate in 1980 but he lost to Jimmy Carter.
Sorry for not being up to speed on “fusion” in California; but since both Mr. Nader and Ms. McKinney are to allowed on the primary ballot for both parties, I assume California permits fusion on the general election ballot? Thanks.
California permits fusion for president. In 1928 Herbert Hoover was listed as the Republican nominee and also the Prohibition nominee. In 1940 Wendell Willkie was listed as both the Republican nominee and the Townsend Party nominee.
However, California’s law on fusion is immaterial to the question of whether anyone can be listed on the ballot in two presidential primaries. Presidential primaries don’t nominate candidates for president. Either they are just “beauty contests” or they elect delegates to a national convention.
NOTHING WRONG WITH THIS IDEA OF SEEKING MORE THAN ONE PARTY NOMINATION. NEW YORK USES THIS SYSTEM. RALPH NADER HAS A LOT OF SUPPORT FROM MANY DIFFRENT POLITICAL POINTS OF VIEW.IS THE CONSTITUTION PARTY HOLDING A PRIMARY?
In CA, one must be registered Green Party to vote for Green party cnadidates, or Peace and Freedom Party to vote for Peace and Freedom Party candidates. Decline to State Party, AKA Independent/non-partisan registered voters have been declined to vote in the Primary by all parties except the Democrat Party, which is only offering Clinton, Edwards, Obama and Richardson as candidates on the primary ballot. This is the first time in history the GOP has refused the decline to state party vote, which is nearly 30% of the registered voting population in CA. That means, that the GOP has placed itself as a “gatekeeper” for the Democrat party, as the Green and Peace and Freedom Parties have always been (and why the Democrats call the Green nomination of registered Independent Nader a “spoiler”). Perhaps this will get a few sound bites in the media, only to make the Democrats appear “liberal”. Bottom line, this tells me that Nader has given up being a consumer advocate for bought elections. My bet, Leonard Peltier will win the Peace and Freedom nomination, Cynthia McKinney will win the Green party nomination, and Nader will try to figure out how the hell he’s going to pay the corrupt PN Courts the $82K for daring to be on their ballot as an Independent candidate.
thanks Richard. If either of them gets on both lines, that will be interesting.
The American Independent (Constitution) Party will
allow Decline to State Voters vote in its primary.
Incidentally, when the state voters appreoved the
blanket primary system in the 90’s the AIP DID NOT
join the lawsuit to have it overturned. We felt it
would benefit us to be listed on the combined ballot.
question-
If either McKinney or Nader win both the Green Party and the Peace and Freedom nmination, will that candidate be able to run on both ballot lines in the general election?