The various state Working Families Parties generally don’t run their own nominees for statewide office. They prefer to cross-endorse the Democratic nominee, for statewide office. However, the Oregon Working Families Party is running its own member-nominee for Attorney General. She is Ashlee Albies. The Oregon WFP will benefit from her candidacy, not only because she has sterling qualifications, but because she certainly will poll more than enough votes to keep the party on the Oregon ballot. Furthermore, the Republicans have no nominee in the Attorney General race, so the Democratic nominee can hardly complain about the WFP’s running its own nominee.

The only other time a state Working Families Party ran its own nominee for a statewide office was in Massachusetts in 2006. However, this year the Massachusetts WFP has no nominees for statewide office, and so will lose its ballot-qualified status.

Maine city and town clerks are accepting the “late” filings of signatures by Barr supporters. The August 8 deadline is considered a “soft deadline,” since the signatures are not due in the Secretary of State’s office until August 15. The clerks have used their discretionary powers to accept signatures by today.

Barr supporters say they will be submitting at least 5,676 signatures toward the 4,000 requirement.

In related news, Barr was today certified for the ballot in South Dakota and Kentucky. Check our ballot access chart for the latest, updated daily.

On August 11, two ballot-qualified parties in Oregon filed a lawsuit in state court, alleging that the actual text of the Oregon election law does permit two parties to jointly nominate the same candidate. The plaintiffs include the Working Families Party and the Independent Party. The WFP wants to cross-endorse Peter Buckley, a Democratic nominee for the state house. The Independent Party wants to cross-endorse Joel Haugen, a Republican nominee for U.S. House, First District.