RocktheDebates has been asking each leading Democratic and Republican presidential candidate if he or she would participate in an inclusive general election debate, were he or she the nominee. Tommy Thompson dropped out of the Republican race on August 12. However, for the record, he gave a good response to the question on August 9. He said, “I’ll debate anybody. My brother ran as a Libertarian (for Governor of Wisconsin in 2002). I tried to talk him out of it…but he did…and he needed a chance to debate, but he didn’t get a chance to debate. He had a lot of ideas…I don’t think the framers of the Constitution wanted that (debate exclusion) to happen.” Thanks to Larry Reinsch and Belinda Lawler for this news.

On September 4, Florida Governor Charlie Crist said if the special session of the legislature passes any bill to move the Florida presidential primary from January to February, he will veto it. It wasn’t likely in any event that such a bill would pass. Crist’s statement guarantees that the controversy between the major party national committees and their state affiliates in Florida will not be resolved quickly or easily.

On September 4, the Constitution Party submitted 2,700 signatures to place its nominee, Kevin Thompson, on the November 2007 ballot to fill the vacant Massachusetts 5th district. 2,000 valid signatures are required, so Thompson is likely to qualify. If so, he will be the first minor party candidate on the ballot in Massachusetts for U.S. House since 2002.

The Democratic and Republican Party nominees are being chosen in a special primary on September 4. Although the Green and Working Families Parties are also ballot-qualified, no one is running in their primaries for that office.