The Rick Perry for President campaign has posted on its web page a copy of part of the Libertarian Party News from March/April 1987. That page of the newsletter is Ron Paul’s letter of resignation from the Republican Party. Paul’s letter is somewhat critical of President Ronald Reagan.

At the Republican presidential debate of September 7, Paul had criticized Perry for having been a supporter of Al Gore for President in 1988, and Paul also held himself out as an early supporter of Ronald Reagan for President. Nothing in Paul’s 1987 resignation letter directly contradicts anything Paul said in the debate. But Perry is trying to show that Paul has not always been an unabashed supporter of all of Ronald Reagan’s policies.

On September 8, the Missouri House Elections Committee passed HB 3, which moves the presidential primary from early February to early March. The bill also increases the filing fee for candidates who wish to run in a presidential primary from $1,000 to $5,000. And after 2012, that fee would rise to $10,000.

The filing fee change does not affect the ability of any qualified party to place its presidential nominee on the November ballot. There is no fee for that in Missouri or any state. But what the increased filing fee does mean (assuming the bill is signed into law) is that minor parties are very likely not to use their presidential primary, because it isn’t likely that any minor party presidential candidate will think it worthwhile to pay such a high fee just to run in his or her own party’s Missouri presidential primary. Generally, presidential primaries for minor parties are not binding anyway.

The Missouri election law will continue to have a petition in-lieu of filing fee for presidential primary candidates, which will continue to be 5,000 signatures. Thanks to Frontloading HQ for the news about the bill moving forward.

Several Republican Party officials in Kentucky have filed a lawsuit in state court to remove the Libertarian Party nominee for State Treasurer from the ballot. See this story. They charge that he does not have 5,000 valid signatures. The state has already certified him for the ballot.