The New Jersey Star-Ledger’s Guest Blog (April 27) features a brief discussion of independent gubernatorial candidate Christopher Daggett. The two guest bloggers are two former New Jersey Governors, Republican Tom Kean and Democrat Brendan Byrne. Byrne says, “Chris Daggett is an exceptionally well-qualified candidate” and “If he were Governor of New Jersey, we would be well off.” Kean says, “He did well when he served in government, and would do well if he served again.”

On April 28, the 2nd circuit released this 53-page decision, agreeing with the U.S. District Court that nothing in the U.S. Constitution prevented the New York city council from repealing the city term limits law. Here is the AP story about the decision. Thanks to Eric Garris for this link. The case is Molinari v Bloomberg, 09-331.

According to this news story, U.S. Senator Arlen Specter is about to change his registration from “Republican” to “Democrat.” Thanks to Jack Ross for this news.

If Senator Specter represented California, he could not have switched parties this month and run for re-election in 2010. California law on prior party affiliation is so restrictive, if someone switches parties in April of an odd year, he or she can not run in the following year’s primary, in any party. The 2010 June primary filing deadline is in March 2010, and candidates who switch parties less than a full year before the primary filing deadline are barred from all primary ballots. One would think the California law runs afoul of the U.S. Supreme Court decision U.S. Term Limits v Thornton, which said that states cannot keep people off the ballot for Congress if they meet the constitutional qualifications to hold the office.