On April 11, the 6th circuit refused Ralph Nader’s request for a rehearing en banc in his Michigan ballot access case. Nader had appeared on the Michigan ballot in 2004 as an independent, but he had preferred to be listed as the Reform Party nominee. But the Michigan Reform Party was split, and only one set of party officers nominated Nader; the other set said the party didn’t wish to run any presidential candidate. The Michigan Secretary of State refused to decide which set of state party officers was legitimate, and left all Reform Party nominees off the ballot. Nader had sued, arguing that the Secretary of State had a duty to decide, but the court had ruled against him. He had asked for a rehearing in January, but that has now been denied.

State Senator Ben Westlund, independent candidate for Oregon Governor, has raised $450,000, and his petition is being circulated by 300 volunteers. He needs 18,356 signatures of registered voters who abstain from the May primary, and is thought likely to succeed. He is about to launch a TV ad for himself, emphasizing that Oregon last elected an independent as Governor in 1930. That candidate, Julius Meyer, is considered by historians to have been a successful governor who helped restore the state’s budget and economy.

On April 11, voters in California’s 50th U.S. House district faced a blanket primary ballot with 18 candidates: 14 Republicans, 2 Democrats, one Libertarian and one independent. The various Republicans polled 53.3%; the two Democrats together polled 45.2%; the independent received .8%; the Libertarian, .6%. The highest vote-getting Democrat and the highest vote-getting Republican, along with the Independent and the Libertarian, will face off in a run-off in June.

In November 2004, this same district had voted for U.S. House as follows: Republican 58.4%; Democrat 36.5%; Green 2.3%; Constitution 1.6%; Libertarian 1.2%.