The Mountain Party, West Virginia’s only ballot-qualified minor party, expects to nominate Jesse Johnson as its U.S. Senate nominee, in the special election for that office to be held November 2, 2010.

Earlier this week, Republicans in the West Virginia legislature refused to vote for the bill setting up the special election, unless it was amended to say that candidates in that special election could also be running for another office simultaneously.  Therefore, the bill was amended to permit that.  Republicans in the legislature hoped that their party’s only member of Congress from West Virginia, Shelley Capito, would run for re-election to the U.S. House and also run in the special U.S. Senate election.

Ironically, on July 21, news sources say that Capito has decided not to run for U.S. Senate.  But because the bill permits candidates in the special election to be running for another office simultaneously, that characteristic of the bill will help Jesse Johnson.  He had already been running a vigorous campaign for a seat in the state legislature, and now he can run for both.  His candidacy for the U.S. Senate is dependent on his raising money for the filing fee for U.S. Senate.  Donations to his campaign can be made by sending a check to Jesse Johnson 2010, PO Box 446, Pinch WV 25156.

The Mountain Party is the West Virginia state affiliate of the Green Party.

The Working Families Party has been circulating a petition to place its statewide nominees on the Connecticut ballot, and has over 9,000 signatures.  The deadline is in early August and 7,500 valid signatures are needed.

The Working Families Party’s statewide nominees are the same individuals as the Democratic Party nominees.  Because the identity of some of the Democratic Party nominees is not yet known, the Working Families Party statewide petition has some temporary nominees.  Connecticut permits substitution when the final nominee is known.

It is odd that the Working Families Party in Connecticut already is ballot-qualified for all 5 U.S. House districts, and 15 of the 36 State Senate districts, and 49 of the 151 State House districts, yet it isn’t ballot-qualified for any statewide offices.  Connecticut is the only state in which a party’s qualified status is determined office-by-office.  The Working Families Party has never before had any statewide nominees on the Connecticut ballot.  It is virtually certain that the party will poll over 1% for each of its statewide nominees this year, and then it will be ballot-qualified for all statewide offices except President.

Wisconsin elects its Governor and Lieutenant Governor as a team in November, but they run separately in the September primary.  This year, no Libertarian submitted enough signatures to be on the Libertarian primary ballot for Governor, but a Libertarian did submit enough signatures to be on the primary ballot for Lieutenant Governor.  The Wisconsin Elections Division is now leaning toward listing the Lieutenant Governor candidate on the November ballot.

Therefore, the Libertarian Party would have a chance to poll 1% of the November vote for its ticket of no one for Governor, and someone for Lieutenant Governor.  In theory, if that ticket won, the Lieutenant Governor candidate could step in to fill the vacancy in the Governor’s office, and would become Governor.  If the ticket gets 1%, the Libertarian Party will continue to be a ballot-qualified party.

Other states that have allowed a joint ticket of no one for Governor and someone for Lieutenant Governor to be on the November ballot are Illinois and Pennsylvania.  Thanks to Ben Olson for this news.