On April 5, the Louisiana State Senate approved Senator Cleo Fields’ bill to provide for closed primaries, for congressional elections. Parties would decide for themselves whether to let independents vote in their primaries.
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On April 5, the Louisiana State Senate approved Senator Cleo Fields’ bill to provide for closed primaries, for congressional elections. Parties would decide for themselves whether to let independents vote in their primaries.
The South Dakota Constitution Party is ballot-qualified, but it still faced a tough ballot access hurdle this month, to qualify its candidate for Governor for its own primary ballot. He needed 250 signatures of registered Constitution Party members, not easy in a party with fewer than 500 members, but he seems to have met the requirement on the deadline, April 4.
A poll conducted by Chicago’s Glengariff Group shows that the Republicans are slightly leading in the Illinois gubernatorial race, regardless of whether African-American State Senator James Meeks enters the race. The poll included 600 voters and was not commissioned by any candidate. The results with Meeks included are: Topinka (Republican) 40%, Blagojevich (Democrat) 38%, Meeks 7%. Without Meeks, the results are: 44% Topinka, 41% Blagojevich.
On the evening of April 3, Tom DeLay let it become known that he will resign from Congress. He had already won the March 2006 primary for the 22nd U.S. House seat. Although Texas permits candidates to withdraw, it does not let parties replace nominees unless they die, become ill, or become ineligible. In order to let the Republican Party replace him with a new nominee, DeLay plans to establish domicile in Virginia. Thanks to Rick Hasen for this.
There may be a special election to fill the vacancy. Texas special elections are conducted as non-partisan elections, although a new law permits party labels on the ballot.