The Detroit Free Press has this story about Joe Schwarz, a former Republican member of the U.S. House who has been pondering whether to be an independent candidate this year for Governor of Michigan. He still seems undecided. The petition deadline is July 15.

If Schwarz runs as an independent, he needs 30,000 valid signatures. If he creates a new party and runs as its gubernatorial candidate, he needs 38,024 valid signatures. In Michigan, new parties nominate by convention, so a “Joe Schwarz Party” or a “Moderate Party” would be free to nominate only for Governor-Lieutenant Governor, and have no nominees for any other office.

The advantage to creating a new party is that the new party would have its own straight-ticket device, whereas an independent candidate has no straight-ticket device. Also, if Schwarz created a new party and were elected, that new party would be ballot-qualified automatically in 2012 as well, and at that point, a Governor Schwarz might get a boost in the middle of his term if such a party ran legislative candidates in 2012 pledged to support his program.

The Free Press is in error to say that Jesse Ventura was an independent candidate for Governor of Minnesota in 1998. Ventura was the nominee of the Reform Party, which recruited him and then nominated him in its primary.