On June 30, the chair of the Maine Democratic Party filed a lawsuit in state court, to remove the only independent candidate for U.S. Senate from the November ballot. The case is Knutson v Department of the Secretary of State, Kennebec County. The Secretary of State had determined that the candidate, Herb Hoffman, has 4,000 valid signatures. The lawsuit argues that the Secretary of State is mistaken. The specific dispute includes whether a signature is valid if the signer gives a Post Office Box address, and whether certain signatures were properly witnessed.

Hoffman is a former Democrat who supported Dennis Kucinich for president. Hoffman became disillusioned with the Democratic Party, partly because of how Kucinich was treated, and partly he disagrees with the stances of the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate on foreign policy. If Hoffman is removed from the ballot, there will only be two choices remaining on the Maine ballot in November for U.S. Senate.

On June 28-29, the American Independent Party held its state convention in Los Angeles. The convention chose Ed King for state chair, and nominated a slate of presidential electors pledged to Chuck Baldwin for president. Approximately 35 delegates attended. Outgoing state chair Ed Noonan did not attend. Outgoing vice-chair Mark Seidenberg did appear at the convention hotel, but he did not enter the convention hall. Noonan and Seidenberg are opposed to Baldwin’s nomination, and support Alan Keyes.

The convention had been called by 9 state officers of the party, more than a month before the convention itself. The officers had acted when it appeared that Noonan would not be calling a state convention this year. The party hired a professional parliamentarian to help with the meeting.

Noonan has called an alternate state convention for July 5-6 in Sacramento.