On November 2, the Georgia Secretary of State announced that these candidates will be on each major party’s presidential primary:

Democratic: Biden, Clinton, Dodd, Edwards, Gravel, Kucinich, Obama, Richardson (8 names)

Republican: Giuliani, Huckabee, Hunter, Keyes, McCain, Paul, Romney, Tancredo, Thompson (9 names).

Georgia and Florida are the only two states in which the list of presidential primaries is determined by 3 party officers. The leader of each major party in the State Senate, the leader of each major party in the State House, and the State Party Chair, form a committee and decide which candidates to list. In the past, this system has withstood court challenge from David Duke in both states. Georgia and Florida are the only states in which Lyndon LaRouche was never able to get on a Democratic presidential primary, back in the period starting in 1980 when he always ran in Democratic presidential primaries.

On November 1, the Federal Election Commission certified John Edwards’ eligibility for primary season matching funds. The FEC had already certified John McCain and Tom Tancredo.

In recent past presidential election years, various minor party candidates were among to first to qualify for primary season matching funds. For example, in the presidential election of 1992, Lenora Fulani was the first person certified for primary season matching funds. Minor party members who received primary season matching funds in the past, in addition to Fulani, have been Sonia Johnson, John Hagelin, Ralph Nader, and Pat Buchanan. This year, no minor party member likely to have the capacity and the willingness to qualify for primary season matching funds has even announced for president.

It has now been more than 30 days since the New Mexico Attorney General’s office, and the New Mexico Secretary of State’s office, have said that they are preparing a legal opinion as to whether the Green Party is still a qualified party. Two weeks ago those officials had hinted that the decision would be out by the end of October. Now they are saying they don’t know when they will release it.

It is likely the officials are keeping the analysis secret until the U.S. Court of Appeals has ruled on the Libertarian Party’s ballot access case. In that case, the state had made much of the fact that Greens were on the ballot in 2006 for three state offices. If the state has now decided that the Greens were on the ballot in 2006 by mistake, it would be embarassing for the state to have that analysis known by the 10th circuit.