On May 31, Nebraska State Senator Laura Ebke announced that she had changed her registration from Republican to Libertarian. See this story.

She lives in Crete and was last re-elected in 2014. She is up in 2018 and has not decided if she will run again.

The last State Senator in Nebraska who was registered in a party other than Democratic or Republican was Ernie Chambers, who was a member of the New Alliance Party during 1988, and was that party’s nominee for U.S. Senate. Before that, the last third party members of the Nebraska legislature were in the Progressive Party, and were elected in 1922, 1924, and 1926. Thanks to Andy Craig for the link.

The Utah Republican Party has asked the Tenth Circuit to hear its appeal in Utah Republican Party v Herbert. The issue is the state law that requires parties to let candidates who have little support at party meetings to try to petition their way onto the primary ballot. In the Tenth Circuit, there are three case numbers: 16-4058, 16-4091, and 16-4098. The U.S. District Court had upheld the state law. The Republican Party does not want anyone on its primary ballot unless he or she showed substantial support at a party caucus.

On May 15, the ballot-qualified American Party of South Carolina nominated Dr. Peter Skewes for President. The party also nominated candidates for U.S. Senate, 3 U.S. House seats, and one state house seat. Skewes is a professor at Clemson University and a veterinarian. The American Party was created in 2014 and considers itself a centrist party.

The Skewes web page is peterforpresident.us. Thanks to Lynn Kahn for this news.