On April 29, Survey USA released a Georgia poll, including a gubernatorial general election poll. The results: Republican incumbent Nathan Deal 41%, Democrat Jason Carter 37%, Libertarian Andrew Hunt 9%, undecided 13%. See here for more detail.

If Hunt did poll 9%, that would be the highest share of the vote for a Georgia gubernatorial candidate running outside the major parties since 1898, when the Peoples Party nominee J. R. Hogan got 30.2% of the vote in a two-candidate race. If the Libertarians could get 9% for Governor, a proposed lawsuit that would argue it is unconstitutional to keep that party off the ballot for U.S. House races (unless a petition is completed that is so difficult, it has never been used by any new or minor party) would be overwhelmingly strong. Thanks to PoliticalWire for the link.

Mark Fisher, the Republican running for Governor of Massachusetts who was told by the Republican Party that he can’t even try to collect the 10,000 signatures needed, is proceeding with the petition drive anyway. See this story, which says he already has 10,000 raw signatures and expects to obtain enough by the May 6 deadline to have 10,000 valid.

As reported earlier, because the Republican Party ruled he only got 14.785% of the vote at the March state convention (instead of 15%), the Republican Party’s position is that even if he gets the 10,000 signatures, he can’t run. But, a court will decide in June whether the Republican Party is right about that. Fisher got over 15% at the convention if blank votes aren’t counted.

On Saturday, April 26, the Libertarian Parties of New York and Kansas held nominating conventions. The results of each convention have been covered. See here for a story in the Wichita Eagle about the Kansas convention, and here for a story in the Albany Times Union about the New York convention. Thanks to Warren Redlich for the New York link.