Constitution Party Will Hold Presidential Convention in Charlotte

The Constitution Party national committee has chosen Charlotte, North Carolina, as the location for its 2020 presidential convention.  The dates are not set, but the convention will either be in late April or early May.

Charlotte had never had a presidential convention for any party, major or minor, until 2012, when Democrats met there.  In 2020, the Republicans are meeting there.

U.S.. District Court Puts Kentucky Libertarian Nominees on Ballot

On May 9, U.S. District Court Judge William O. Bertelsman, a Carter appointee, granted injunctive relief to the Kentucky Libertarian Party, and ordered the state to put the party’s nominees in the November 2019 election on the ballot.  Sweeney v Crigler, e.d., 2:19cv-46.  UPDATE:  here is the Associated Press news story.

The judge ruled shortly after hearing the case, earlier in the same day.  The Libertarian Party is ballot-qualified in Kentucky, and it nominates by convention.  Thus no petition was involved.  The problem for the party was that the legislature earlier this year had moved the declaration of candidacy deadline for the state and local nominees of convention parties from April to January.  HB 114, had been signed into law on March 19, so by the time it was in effect, it was already too late for the declarations to be filed.

Connecticut Special Legislative Election

Connecticut held a special election on May 7 to fill a vacancy in the State House, district 130, in Bridgeport.  The results:  Democrat Antonio Felipe 466; independent Kate Rivera 343; independent Christina Tita Ayala 72; independent Hector Diaz 67; Republican Josh Parrow 39.  If you use the link above, after clicking, then click the House, 130th district.

Both Felipe and Rivera had qualified for public funding, but the other three candidates did not.  Although Rivera was on the ballot as an independent candidate, she is a registered Democrat.

New York Senate Passes Bill to Let Congress See a State Tax Return

On May 8, the New York Senate passed SB 5072 by 39-21.  It says that if the Chair of the U.S. House Ways & Means Committee asks the state of New York for a copy of the New York state income tax return of any individual, the state will comply with the request.  The bill also mentions two other types of congressional chair, but it is the House Ways & Means reference that is meaningful, because that member of Congress has already asked to see the federal tax return of Donald Trump.  Of course Trump is a taxpayer in New York state, so this bill is about him.  Here is the text.  A similar bill, AB 7194-A, is pending in the New York Assembly.