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

Posted on by December 23, 2012
28

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

Posted on by December 23, 2012
8

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

Posted on by December 22, 2012
18

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.

Tennessee Election Returns for Green Congressional Candidates Show the Value of Having Party Label on the Ballot

Posted on by December 22, 2012
11

Lawsuits are pending in Alabama and Tennessee in which the state argues that having party labels on the ballot for minor party nominees is not helpful to those nominees. However, the Tennessee election returns for 2012, when compared to past election returns, dramatically show that a party label increases the vote for minor parties. This is especially true when one looks at the results for the Green Party in Tennessee.

The Green Party has had U.S. Senate nominees on the ballot in Tennessee four times in history: In 2006 and 2008, its nominees had “independent” on the ballot, and polled, respectively, .14% and .38%.

But, in 2012, the Green Party U.S. Senate nominee, Martin Pleasant, had “Green” on the ballot, and he polled 1.66%. While that was not a hugely impressive percentage, it is the largest percentage of the vote any minor party candidate for U.S. Senate in Tennessee has received since 1978. Also, in 2000, under a strange law that only affected the 2000 election, the Green Party U.S. Senate nominee was on the ballot as “Green/independent candidate” and he got 1.34%.

Similar results are apparent for the Green Party’s U.S. House candidates in Tennessee. In 2002, 2006, 2008, and 2010, the party had candidates for U.S. House on the ballot with the label “independent.” The 2002 candidate received .71%; the two 2006 candidates received .58% and .78%; the 2008 candidate received 1.16%; and the 2010 candidate got .22%. But in 2012, with the party label on the ballot, the five Greens for U.S. House received: 1.20%; 2.17%; 1.98%; 8.97% (this was a district with no Democrat on the ballot); and 1.80%.

Other minor party U.S. Senate candidates in Tennessee 1980 through 2010, all of whom had the label “independent”, never did as well as the 2012 Green nominee for U.S. Senate. The Libertarian Party has had these U.S. Senate showings in Tennessee: 1996, .23%; 2008, .39%; 2012, .90%. The Natural Law Party U.S. Senate showings have been: 1994, .15%; 1996, .33%. The Populist Party had a U.S. Senate candidate in Tennessee in 1990 who polled 1.02%.

Socialist Workers Party Polled More Votes for One of its U.S. House Candidates than it Did for President in the Whole Nation

Posted on by December 21, 2012
24

The Socialist Workers Party nominee for U.S. House in Iowa’s 3rd district, David Rosenfeld, polled 6,286 votes, 1.63% of the total. The district covers southwest Iowa and includes Des Moines. The race in this district between the two major parties was hard fought, with two incumbents running against each other due to redistricting and reapportionment. Republican Tom Latham received 202,000, and Democrat Leonard Boswell received 168,632. An independent candidate, Scott Batcher, polled 9,352.

Rosenfeld received more votes for U.S. House than James Harris, the SWP’s presidential nominee, received in the nation. Harris was on the ballot in six states and polled 4,115 votes, the lowest presidential vote total in the party’s history. The SWP has been running presidential candidates in all elections 1948 through the present.

The SWP also did well in 2010 in the Des Moines U.S. House race. That year, Rebecca Williamson running in the 3rd district received 6,258 votes, 2.60%.