Roger Chesley, the political columnist for the Virginian-Pilot newspaper, here criticizes the Virginia Bar Association for inviting only the Democratic and Republican nominees for U.S. Senate this year. The Virginian-Pilot is the largest newspaper in Virginia, and is published in Norfolk.
The Columbus Dispatch has this article about Chad Monnin, the Libertarian nominee for Ohio State House, district 19, near Columbus. The article says Monnin has two campaign offices, has already spent $100,000, and plans to have spent as much as $250,000. The article also describes efforts by the Republican Party to challenge his primary petition (that didn’t work), and then efforts by Republicans to persuade him to withdraw.
No party, other than the Democratic and Republican Parties, has elected anyone to the Ohio legislature since 1914, when the Progressives elected one. Thanks to Kevin Knedler for the link.
Thomas Ravenel, a former State Treasurer of South Carolina, says he will submit over 10,000 valid signatures by the July 15 deadline. See this story. If he succeeds, he will be the first independent candidate for U.S. Senate in the history of government-printed ballots in South Carolina.
South Carolina has been one of four states in which there had never been an independent candidate for either Governor or U.S. Senator on a government-printed ballot, but it seems likely that independent candidates for both offices will qualify in that state this year. The other states that have never had an independent candidate for either office are Indiana, New Mexico, and North Carolina.
Professor Lawrence Lessig is actively working to create a SuperPAC that would spend its money to help congressional candidates who will work to pass a public funding bill in 2015. The SuperPac has been soliciting pledges. The pledges will not be payable unless the effort reaches a goal of $5,000,000 in pledges by the end of July 4, Hawaii time. As of 1:30 p.m. Hawaii time, $4,778,325 has been pledged.
If the SuperPac, called MayDay, reaches its goal, the funds will be more than matched by various wealthy individuals, and the PAC will have $12,000,000, or close to it. That money could then be used for independent expenditures in favor of congressional candidates who will work for public funding. The plan is to spend the money in 5 U.S. House districts, and those districts will be chosen and announced by July 15.
See mayday.us for more information. One possible disincentive for some potential donors is that the donation part of the web page asks donors if they wish the money spent on Democratic candidates, or Republican candidates. There is no option for the donor to ask that the money be spent on a candidate not nominated by either major party.
Meanwhile, the bill in the U.S. House for public funding, H.R. 20, now has 156 co-sponsors. It gained six co-sponsors in May, but only two in June. Thanks to Jacqui Deveneau for the link.
UPDATE: Lessig’s goal was met. The web page shows pledges of $5,160,429.
Some Norwegian voters in 2011 and 2013 were permitted to vote using the internet. However, Norway has decided to end the experiment, for the reasons explained in this BBC article. Thanks to Thomas Jones for the link.
