On November 4, 2014, Green Party nominee Matt Funiciello polled 11.02% for U.S. House, New York district 21. This is the highest percentage of the vote any Green Party nominee for U.S. House has ever received, in a regularly-scheduled race with both a Republican and a Democrat. Until 2014, the best regularly-scheduled U.S. House showing for a Green Party nominee in races with both major parties also in the race had been in Alaska in 1994, when Jonni Whitmore polled 10.23%. However, in a special election in New Mexico in 1997, Carole Miller had polled 16.78%, and in another special New Mexico election in the spring of 1998, Robert Anderson had polled 14.72%.

Twice, Green Party nominees for U.S. Senate have polled over 10% in races with a Democrat and Republican also in the race. Those instances were in Hawaii in 1992, when Linda Martin polled 13.73%, and in Alaska in 1996, when Ted Whittaker polled 12.58%.

The Green gubernatorial nominees who have polled as much as 10% are Roberto Mondragon in New Mexico in 1994, who got 10.26%, and Richard Whitney in Illinois in 2006, who got 10.36%.

Here is a story about the Funiciello campaign. The 21st district is in northern New York state, and includes Plattsburgh and Watertown.

In the November 2014 election, three Libertarians running for U.S. House, in races with both major parties, polled between 7% and 8%. They were Kevin Craig in Missouri’s 7th district (7.68%), Jim McDermott in Alaska’s at-large seat (7.65%), and Scott Wise in Indiana’s 3rd district (7.48%). The Constitution Party’s best showing for U.S. House was Janine Hansen’s 6.33% in Nevada’s Second District. Two independents, in races with both major parties for U.S. House, polled over 10%. They were Nick Troiano in Pennsylvania’s 10th district with 12.61%, and Blaine Richardson in Maine’s 2nd district with 11.06%.

The Federal Election Commission web page is expected to show all comments about the Presidential Debates rulemaking petition by December 27. Comments closed on December 15. The rulemaking petition asks the FEC to alter its rules on general election presidential debates. It will be interesting to see the comments of the Commission on Presidential Debates, assuming the CPD took the trouble to submit comments.

Here is Fairvote’s comment. Here is the submission of Our America Initiative, the organization founded by former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson.

On December 8, Texas Representative Drew Springer (R-Muenster) introduced HB 464, which would require candidates nominated by minor party convention to pay the same filing fees that major party candidates must pay to get on a primary ballot.

Traditionally, major political parties in Texas paid for their own primaries, and were only able to afford them by charging filing fees to candidates who filed to run in a primary. In 1972 the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the Texas filing fees for candidates who were unable to afford them, so Texas government started paying for the administrative costs of primaries. Candidates who can’t afford filing fees but want to run in a primary may submit a petition in lieu of filing fee.

Texas has never required independent candidates, or candidates nominated in a party convention, to pay filing fees. The bill says the filing fees would be paid into the general state fund. This bill, if enacted, would be very injurious to the Libertarian and Green Parties, which are ballot-qualified and always nominate by convention. Representative Springer is in his second term. He has never faced any opponent on the general election ballot. Thanks to Jim Riley for this news.