The West Virginia Secretary of State has determined that the Constitution Party’s gubernatorial petition has enough valid signatures. S. Marshall Wilson, a former Republican state legislator, is the Constitution Party’s nominee for Governor. He is well-known and considered likely to poll more than 1% of the vote. If he does, the Constitution Party will be a ballot-qualified party in West Virginia for the first time ever.

The party circulated its gubernatorial petition before it knew who it was running for president, so the petition named no one for president, and the party’s presidential nominee, Randall Terry, won’t be on the ballot this year. Back in 1995, the West Virginia Secretary of State ruled that praties can use stand-in presidential candidates on their statewide petitions, but the Constitution Party didn’t take advantage of that idea this year. Thanks to Jeff Becker for the news about the Wilson petition acceptance.

MOST BALLOT CHALLENGES AGAINST MINOR PARTY AND INDEPENDENT PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES IN HISTORY

Even though the petition deadlines for minor party and independent presidential candidates have not yet passed in most states, already eight minor party and independent presidential candidates are facing challenges to their ballot access.  This is the highest number of such candidates in history.

“Challenge” means an outside individual or group initiated an administrative action or a lawsuit to keep someone off the ballot.  It does not mean that the state election office itself kept a candidate off the ballot.

Generally, when challenges are mounted to a minor party or independent presidential candidate, only one such candidate is the target, or two at the most.  But 2024 is very different, as this list shows:

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The Florida Reform Party, which had nominated Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for president, has withdrawn Kennedy’s name from the ballot, at Kennedy’s request.  Kennedy does not want to be on the ballot in swing states.

The seven presidential candidates who are on the Florida ballot are the nominees of the Republican, Democratic, Libertarian, Green, Constitution, American Solidarity, and Socialism & Liberation Parties.