On January 18, Sargent Shriver died. He was the Democratic Party’s nominee for vice-president in 1972. He was chosen by the Democratic National Committee, in a committee meeting, after the vice-presidential nominee chosen by the Democratic National Convention resigned from the ticket.

During the 20th century, the only other Republican or Democratic Party vice-presidential nominee not chosen by a national convention was Nicholas Murray Butler, the Republican vice-presidential nominee in 1912. He was chosen by the Republican National Committee after the party’s original nominee, James S. Sherman, died during the campaign, on October 30, 1912.

According to this Politico story, U.S. Senator Joe Lieberman will probably announce on January 19 that he will not run for re-election in 2012. In 2006 he was re-elected as an independent candidate. His 2006 ballot label was “Connecticut for Lieberman Party.” He is one of three sitting U.S. Senators who was last elected even though not the Democratic nor Republican Party nominee. The other two are Lisa Murkowski and Bernie Sanders. Thanks to Gene Berkman for the link.

On January 18, the West Virginia Supreme Court ruled unanimously that the State Constitution requires a new election when the Governor leaves office more than a year before his or her term expires. See the 19-page opinion here. The case is State ex rel West Virginia Citizens Action Group v Tomblin, 101494.

The opinion also notes that the election code requires that qualified parties choose their nominees in a special gubernatorial election by convention, not by primary. The decision notes that the legislature may possibly wish to amend that law quickly, if it desires primaries. The Governor will choose the date for the election, but it probably won’t be until the second half of 2011. The decision also strikes down as unconstitutional an election law that seemed to say there should be no special gubernatorial election in cases such as this.

West Virginia is one of the few states that does not elect a Lieutenant Governor. The people who argued against a special election said the President of the State Senate should serve as Governor until the next regularly-scheduled election, which is in November 2012.