On March 1, the Minnesota Senate unanimously approved SF 2251, the bill to move the primary from September to August. The bill has the effect of moving the independent and minor party candidate petition deadline from early July to June 1, and it takes effect this year. The Governor has said he will sign the bill.
Jay Schneiderman has been a member of the Suffolk County, New York, county legislature since 2003. According to this story, he will run this year for U.S. House in the First District, without first seeking the nomination of either the Republican Party or the Democratic Party.
Schneiderman will seek the Independence Party nomination. He has been registered in that party since 2008. He is so popular, he was re-elected to the county legislature in 2008 with the support of all five ballot-qualified parties, Democratic, Republican, Independence, Conservative, and Working Families. Suffolk County is one of the state’s most populous counties; it comprises the eastern half of Long Island. Thanks to Bill Van Allen for this news.
On November 30, 2009, Ralph Nader filed a new legal attack on the Democratic National Committee, and other elements of the party, over its attempts to keep him off the ballot in 18 states in 2004. Nader had filed a similar lawsuit in Virginia in 2007, which had been transferred to the District of Columbia. But that case was dismissed in 2009 on the basis that D.C. has a 3-year statute of limitations. The U.S. Court of Appeals, D.C. Circuit, ruled that Nader should have filed the case a few months before he actually filed it.
So, Nader refiled the case in Maine state courts last year. Maine has a six-year statute of limitations. Now the Democratic Party has responded to the Maine lawsuit. The party argues various procedural points, for example, that the case has already been adjudicated, and that the Maine court lacks jurisdiction. Maine is one of the states in which the Democratic National Committee was active in challenging Nader’s ballot status. Nader is hoping that the Maine court will finally permit him to present evidence.
Former Republican Congressman Joe Schwarz says he will say for sure whether he will be an independent candidate this year for Governor of Michigan within a few days. But he says he is leaning in favor. See this story.
On March 1, the Independent American Party of Nevada (affiliate of the Constitution Party) filed its list of candidates in the 2010 elections with the Secretary of State. The party is running for all four congressional seats, four state executive posts, four State Senate seats, eleven Assembly seats, and county offices in five counties.
Janine Hansen, the IAP nominee in 2008 for State Senate who polled 34.75% in a two-person race, is running in 2010 for Assembly. The 2010 IAP nominee for U.S. Senate is Tim Fasano of Fernley. Thanks to Glenn Brown and Janine Hansen for this news.
