Ten Rhode Island State Representatives have introduced HB 5277, to create a top-two system. They are nine Democrats and one Republican. The Democratic sponsors are Arthur Corvese, Samuel Azzinaro, William O’Brien, Scott Slater, Thomas Noret, Brian P. Kennedy, Raymond Hull, Robert Phillips, and Jacquelyn Baginski. The Republican is Brian Rea.
Rhode Island law defines a qualified party as a group whose nominee for either President or Governor received 5% of the vote in the last election. The bill changes this definition so that if a candidate endorsed by a party received 5% for those offices, it would be qualified (the bill keeps the presidential nominee nominee option, however). The bill seems to have no prohibition on two different groups or parties “endorsing” a gubernatorial candidate. Taken literally, the bill would appear to allow the Libertarian Party, for example, “endorse” a Republican running for Governor, who conceivably would qualify for the general election ballot and poll at least 5%. Then, again taking the bill literally, that would seem to cause the Libertarian Party to become a qualified party. However, it is doubtful the bill would be interpreted that way.
https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/politics/2025/02/16/trump-whistleblower-agency-office-of-special-counsel/78881966007/
Trump administration wants the Supreme Court to permit the firing of whistleblower agency head
Mark Sherman and Lindsay Whitehurst
Associated Press
Washington — The Trump administration wants the Supreme Court to permit the firing of the head of the federal agency dedicated to protecting whistleblowers, according to documents obtained Sunday that would mark the first appeal to the justices since President Donald Trump took office.
The emergency appeal is the start of what probably will be a steady stream from lawyers for the Republican president and his administration seeking to undo lower court rulings that have slowed his second term agenda.
The Justice Department’s filing obtained by The Associated Press asks the conservative-majority court to lift a judge’s court order temporarily reinstating Hampton Dellinger as the leader of the Office of Special Counsel.
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HOW MANY MORE TYRANT TRUMP CASES GOING TO SCOTUS ???
“However, it is doubtful the bill would be interpreted that way.”
They might have to prevail in court. What are the reasons to think they would or would not?
RI IN 2024 – PREZ
41.8 PCT FOR TRUMP
55.5 PCT FOR HARRIS
TOP 2 — MORE OR LESS COMMIE/FASCIST EXTREMISTS ???
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The AZ spambot can never be helped. It needs to be deprogrammed.
It’s the victim sites which need help from spambots through akismet, not the spambots themselves.
“However, it is doubtful the bill would be interpreted that way.”
They might have to prevail in court. What are the reasons to think they would or would not?
I know this was asked already but it was right away buried by various off topic comments. Better luck on the second try or more of the same?
Isn’t that precisely how minor parties have generally qualified through fusion candidates in NY state over the years, e.g. Conservative, Liberal, Right to Life, Independence etc?
Why would the law be interpreted to preclude this if it became law in RI?
In New York, as in almost all states, parties have nominees. The Rhode Island bill eliminates party nominees.
In New York, as in almost all states, there is some percentage of the vote that any party needs, to obtain or keep party status. But in a top-two system, were there are only two candidates on the general election ballot, minor parties can’t poll any particular vote because they aren’t being allowed to run. The Rhode Island bill seems to let a party that is not on the ballot “endorse” a candidate and then claim party status if the person it “endorsed” gets 5%. It’s entirely different from New York.
In New York you may have two candidates on the ballot endorsed by multiple parties each, so that interpretation may hold up. Or not. But suppose the libertarians did qualify as a party this way, what exactly would it get them?