On Julyl 7, Brock Pierce filed with the Federal Election Commission as an independent presidential candidate. See this story. The story is in error when it says that the filing deadlines have passed in New York and Maine. The New York deadline is July 30; the Maine deadline is July 25.
On July 7, Don Blankenship, presidential nominee of the Constitution Party, filed a federal lawsuit against the California law that requires petitioning candidates for president to get 196,964 signatures during the period mid-April through August 7. Blankenship v Newsom, n.d., 4:20cv-4479. Here is the Complaint. The case is assigned to U.S. District Court Judge Richard Seeborg, an Obama appointee.
Delaware and New Jersey hold their presidential primaries on Tuesday, July 7. This is the first time in U.S. history that any state has held presidential primaries in a month later than June. Still to come are the presidential primaries in Connecticut, Louisiana, and Puerto Rico.
Brock Pierce says he will be an independent presidential candidate, according to this Forbes story.
On July 6, two voters in Detroit filed a federal lawsuit to disqualify Brenda Jones from the Democratic primary ballot for U.S. House, 13th district.
Michigan election law, sec. 168.558(4), requires candidates to swear that they have no unpaid campaign finance fines, and the lawsuit alleges that Jones does have such unpaid fines, but that she committed perjury when she signed the statement saying she does not have such outstanding fines.
Here is the Complaint in Davis v Wayne County Election Commission, e.d., 2:20cv-11819. The primary is August 4. The ballots have already been printed. The plaintiffs ask that votes for Jones not be counted.
The lawsuit is barred by the fact that Jones is running for federal office, and if a state law were enforced for a federal candidate relating to campaign finance, it would be unconstitutional on qualifications grounds. Thanks to Thomas Jones for this news.
