According to this Politico article, supporters of Obamacare may use state initiative processes in 2014, to obtain their state’s expansion of Medicaid when their Republican-majority state legislature refuses to take that step.
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On May 15, the Pennsylvania House State Government Committee passed HB 1020. The bill, as originally introduced, makes it impossible for candidates for School Board (a partisan office) to file in the primaries of more than one party. However, the Committee amended the bill, to make it impossible for anyone to file in the primary of more than one party for any office.
The wording of the amendment is not yet available. It is not clear if the amendment will block candidates from receiving the primary nomination of a political party (that the candidate is not a member of) by write-ins at the primary. In every election, there are Republicans running for the Pennsylvania legislature who receive the nomination of the Democratic Party as well as the Republican Party, by write-ins in the primary. The same is true in reverse. For example, in 2012, there were nine Republican legislative nominees who also won the Democratic nomination, and appeared on the November ballot as the nominee of both major parties; and also there were four Democratic legislative nominees who also won the Republican nomination. Thanks to Michael Thompson for this news.
Esquire Magazine has this interview with Roseanne Barr, and quite a bit of it discusses her run for President last year. The Esquire interviewer is correct when he said to her that she came in sixth.
Virginia elects its three statewide state executive officers in November 2013. The three offices are Governor, Lieutenant Governor, and Attorney General. On May 18, the Republican Party nominated by convention, held in the Richmond Coliseum. Delegates had been chosen in city and county conventions held between March 1 and April 30. Approximately 8,000 delegates participated. Here are the rules on how delegates were chosen. No fee was required for Delegates, but Delegates who paid a voluntary $35 were entitled to special perks, as listed in the rules.
Virginia is the only state in which either major party ever nominates for Governor by convention (with no primary), although in several other states, lower level statewide executive nominees of major parties are chosen in conventions. The Virginia Republican Party also nominated by convention in 2009, although it nominated by primary in 2005.
Anyone who lives near downtown Los Angeles, and who is able to attend a court hearing at 3 p.m., Monday, May 20, might consider sitting in the audience when U.S. District Court Judge Philip Gutierrez holds a hearing in Libertarian Party of Los Angeles County v Bowen, 2:10cv-2488. The location is the federal courthouse at 312 North Spring Street. Here is more information about the case.