On April 25, Public Policy Polling released a presidential general election poll from New Mexico, in which the listed choices are President Obama, Mitt Romney, and likely Libertarian Party nominee Gary Johnson. The results: Obama 48%, Romney 35%, Johnson 15%, other or undecided 2%.
The poll shows that 10% of Democrats, 20% of Republicans, and 23% of independents and members of other parties choose Johnson. If Johnson, as the Libertarian nominee, polls as much as 5%, the Libertarians would become entitled to their own primary in New Mexico, assuming that the party during the following year after the election is able to increase its registration up to one-third of 1% of the state registration total. If the party were entitled to a primary, it would no longer be plagued with the election law that requires convention parties to submit separate petitions for each of their nominees other than president. These separate nominee petitions are unique in the nation, and require the signatures of 1% of the last gubernatorial vote. Thanks to Independent Political Report for the link.
I know that there are petitions in New Mexico for Democrats and Republicans to be candidates on the ballot for the primary elections. Would Libertarian Party candidate have to do petitions to get into the Libertarian Party primary in New Mexico (if the LP qualified to have a primary)?
Yes, but the primary petitions for Libertarians running in their own primary in New Mexico would be only 230 signatures for statewide office, and 77 for U.S. House.