Richmond, California, Nation’s Largest City with a Green Party Mayor, Wins Praise for Fighting Crime

Richmond, California, once one of the most crime-ridden cities in California, has had remarkable success in the last few years reducing murder and other serious crime. See this story in the Contra Costa Times. Richmond’s Mayor, Gayle McLaughlin, was elected to the City Council in 2004 while she was a registered Green Party member. She is still a registered Green Party member. She was elected Mayor in 2006 and re-elected in 2010.

Richmond is directly north of Berkeley, and in 2010 had a population of 103,701.

Four Minor Party Statewide Candidates in 2012 Carried Counties in Partisan Races

Four minor party nominees in 2012 partisan statewide races carried counties. In Vermont, Cassandra Gekas, Progressive Party member-nominee for Lieutenant Governor, carried Bennington and Windham Counties. Vermont has fourteen counties. The Democratic Party had cross-endorsed Gekas, but she appeared on the ballot as “Progressive, Democrat”, indicating she considered herself a member of the Progressive Party. Vermont does not have registration by party, so the only official way a fusion candidate lets the public know the party of membership is by the order of party labels on the ballot.

In Georgia, David Staples, Libertarian nominee for Public Service Commission, carried Clayton, DeKalb, and Hancock Counties. Staples was in a two-person race with a Republican. Georgia has 159 counties.

In Montana, Mike Fellows, Libertarian nominee for Clerk of the Supreme Court, carried 27 counties: Beaverhead, Broadwater, Carter, Fallon, Fergus, Flathead, Garfield, Golden Valley, Granite, Judith Basin, Liberty, Lincoln, Madison, Meagher, Mineral, Musselshell, Petroleum, Powder River, Prairie, Ravalli, Sanders, Stillwater, Sweet Grass, Teton, Toole, Treasure, and Wibaux. Montana has 56 counties. Fellows was in a two-person race with the Democratic incumbent.

In Texas, Jaime O. Perez, Libertarian nominee for Railroad Commission, short term, carried 9 counties: Brooks, Duval, Jim Hogg, Maverick, Starr, Webb, Willacy, Zapata, and Zavala. Texas has 254 counties. Perez was one of four Libertarian statewide nominees who ran in a race with no Democrat. Ironically, of the four Libertarians in such races, Perez received the lowest statewide percentage, 18.32%. However, none of the other three Libertarians in races without a Democrat carried any counties. None of the other three had Hispanic surnames; their names were Koelsch (21.22%), Bennett (22.12%), and Strange (21.93%). Thanks to commenter #1 for the Texas part of this post.

Among the four states discussed in this post, only Texas has a straight-ticket device on the ballot.

Grassroots Party is Once Again Minnesota’s Fourth Most Active Political Party

The Grassroots Party, formed in Minnesota in 1986 to advocate marijuana law reform, appeared on the ballot in all Minnesota elections 1986 through 2000. In the years 1990 through 1994 it had more nominees on the ballot for federal and state office than any other Minnesota party besides the two major parties. After 2000 it ceased to appear on the ballot, and one of its founders joined the Green Party. See this wikipedia article about the Grassroots Party.

But, the Grassroots Party returned to the Minnesota ballot in 2010, for Governor. In 2012, it is the only party in Minnesota that ran a candidate both for President and for any congressional office. Its 2012 nominee for U.S. Senate, Tim Davis, polled over 1% of the vote, thus re-qualifying the party for some public funding.

However, the Grassroots Party is not ballot-qualified; Minnesota’s only ballot-qualified party besides the Democratic-Farmer-Labor and Republican Parties is the Independence Party, which hasn’t run anyone for President since 1996, when it supported Ross Perot and when its name was the Reform Party.

In 2012, Vermont’s ballot listed the United States Marijuana Party, for both Governor and U.S. Senator. However, this was not an actual organization, but the ballot label of Cris Ericson, who ran for both offices simultaneously. In 2010 she had appeared on the Vermont ballot with the label “United States Marijuana” for both Governor and U.S. Senator; and according to her web page, in 2014 she plans to again run for two offices simultaneously, but with the label “independent.” See her web page here. She had also run for two offices in 2004 with the “United States Marijuana” label and had run for two offices in 2006 and 2008 with the label “independent.”

In Four States, “Other” Candidates for U.S. Senate Polled Highest Percentage in History

The United States has been holding popular elections for U.S. Senate starting in 1914. In November 2012, in four states, minor party or independent candidates for U.S. Senate polled the highest percentage ever, for non-major party candidates for U.S. Senate within that state.

In Maryland, independent U.S. Senate candidate S. Rob Sobhani polled 16.38% in a four-candidate race. The previous best showing for U.S. Senate in Maryland for a non-major party candidate had been George P. Mahoney, who had polled 13.10% in 1968.

In Maine, independent U.S. Senate candidate Angus King won the election with 52.89%. The previous best showing for U.S. Senate in Maine by a non-major party candidate had been Hayes E. Gahagan, who had received 7.42% in 1978.

In Missouri, Libertarian U.S. Senate nominee Jonathan Dine received 6.07%. The previous best showing in that state had been by the Progressive Party nominee in 1914, Arthur N. Sager, who had polled 4.47%.

In Vermont, Bernie Sanders, independent incumbent, was re-elected with 71.06%, topping the record he had set for non-major party nominees for U.S. Senate in 2006, when he had polled 65.41%.

Jon Barrie, Founder of the New Mexico Independent American Party, Joins Constitution Party

Jon Barrie, founder of the Independent American Party of New Mexico, and that party’s U.S. Senate nominee this year, has joined the Constitution Party and is now the state chair of the New Mexico Constitution Party. Barrie polled 3.63% for U.S. Senate in New Mexico last month, the best showing for a minor party or independent U.S. Senate candidate in that state since 1996, when the Green Party polled 4.39% for U.S. Senate.

Both the Constitution Party and the Independent American Party are currently ballot-qualified in New Mexico. In New Mexico, when a newly-qualifying party submits a petition to be recognized, the state grants it ballot access for two elections, not just one election.