For First Time Since 1916, a Minnesota Party Other than the Democratic and Republican Parties Has Its Own Presidential Primary

Minnesota will hold presidential primaries in 2020, and all four of the qualified parties are eligible to have one. The four parties are Republican, Democratic-Farmer-Labor, Legal Marijuana Now, and Grassroots-Legalize Marijuana.

This is the second time that any Minnesota party, other than the Democratic and Republican Parties, has been eligible for its own presidential primary. Minnesota also had presidential primaries in 1916, 1952, 1956, and 1992, but in those years, only the two major parties were ballot-qualified, except that in 1916, the Progressive Party and the Prohibition Party were eligible, and the Prohibition Party used its primary.

The Minnesota presidential primary law in effect for 2020 says that candidates get on a presidential primary ballot by being chosen by their own parties. Minnesota, Georgia, and Florida are the only states like that. If a party doesn’t want a presidential candidate on its primary ballot, there is nothing the candidate can do to get on that presidential primary ballot. This type of law was upheld in federal court in 1992, when David Duke tried to get on the Florida and Georgia Republican presidential primary ballots, but the Republican Party wouldn’t allow it.

It is not known if either the Legal Marijuana Now Party, or the Grassroots-Legalize Marijuana Parties, will even want a presidential primary in 2020.

California Senate Passes Presidential Candidate Tax Returns Bill

On May 2, the California Senate passed SB 27. This is the bill to keep presidential primary candidates off the ballot if they don’t release the last five years of their income tax returns. The vote was 27-10, with all Democrats who voted voting “yes”, and all Republicans who voted voting “no.” Now the bill goes to the Assembly.

The bill does not prevent anyone from filing as a write-in candidate in a presidential primary.

Arizona Bill to Move Primary Fails in House

On May 2, the Arizona House defeated SB 1154 by 28-32. This is the bill that would have moved the non-presidential primary from late August to early August. It would also have moved the petition deadline for newly-qualifying parties from February of the election year, to November of the odd year before the election.