On July 17, supporters of Arizona’s public funding law for state office asked the State Supreme Court to invalidate a bill passed earlier this year by the Arizona legislature. The case is Arizona Citizens Clean Elections Commission v Bennett, cv13-0233-SA.

The bill raises campaign contribution limits to candidates for state office. For instance, it raises limits to legislative candidates from $440 to $4,000. Supporters of public funding dislike such high contribution limits, because the higher limits will probably motivate many candidates to ignore the public funding program and instead opt for private funding. The basis for the lawsuit is technical. The lawsuit argues that Arizona initiatives may not be altered by the legislature unless the legislature alters the initiative with a 3/4ths vote in each House. Opponents of the lawsuit will argue that the campaign limits aren’t really a part of the initiative that first established the public funding program back in 1998. Chances seem high that the Supreme Court will hear this case.

James Evans, state chair of the Republican Party, recently spoke to Utah’s Republican state legislators, and asked them to introduce a bill when the legislature convenes next year to move the June primary to a later month. See this story. Utah primaries have very few candidates running in them, because in Utah, qualified parties first hold endorsement conventions, and the only people who can run in primaries are those who had substantial support at the convention. Most partisan offices in Utah are settled at the conventions.

Dr. Tom Stevens, who was state chair of the Pennsylvania Libertarian Party during 2012 even though he was a New York state resident, has decided to accept the Republican Party nomination for New York City Public Advocate, if he gets on the ballot. New York city this year elects three partisan citywide offices: Mayor, Comptroller, and Public Advocate. Petitions were submitted for Stevens to appear on the Republican primary ballot for Public Advocate. No petition was submitted for any other Republican candidate, so obviously if Stevens gets on the primary ballot, he will be nominated.

His petition needs 3,750 valid signatures of registered Republicans. The petition submitted for Stevens, which was circulated by persons who did not notify Stevens that the petition was circulating, has 5,200 signatures. A challenge to the validity of his petition has been filed, so it is impossible to know at this point whether the petition will be upheld.