New Jersey Filing Closes for 2023 Legislative Races

New Jersey elects its state legislature on November 7, 2023. Filing closed on June 6. The New Jersey state elections office website has a list of the minor party and independent candidates who submitted petitions. For State Senate, there are three Libertarians, one Socialist Worker, and five independents. For Assembly, there are two Libertarians, one Socialist Worker, one Green, and five independents.

Links to the list are here. There are two links, one for State Senate and one for Assembly. Thanks to commenter Bob M. for reminding me that this list is now available.

Politico Story on Cornel West Presidential Candidacy

Politico has this story by Holly Otterbein about the Cornel West presidential candidacy.

The story suggests that Jill Stein injured Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential election. Otterbein and other reporters would do a better job if they checked the exit polls from 2016. Those exit polls show that only 25% of the Stein voters said they would have voted for Hillary Clinton if Stein had not been running, and 11% of them said they would have voted for Donald Trump if Stein had not been running.

Assuming the accuracy of those results, Stein’s presence in the 2016 race did not change the outcome in any state, not even Michigan, which was the closest state carried by Trump. Trum’s margin in Michigan was 10,704 votes. Stein received 51,463 votes in Michigan. Because the exit polls show a net gain of 14% (25% minus 11%) if Stein had not been running, one can calculate 14% of Stein’s vote to be 7,205 votes, so Trump still would have carried Michigan, because 7,205 is less than 10,704.

U.S. District Court in Michigan Libertarian Trademark Case Finds Procedural Problems with Libertarian National Committee’s Request for Injunction

On June 9, U.S. District Court Judge Judith E. Levy determined that the Libertarian National Committee’s request for a Michigan injunction has procedural problems. She struck the document from the record and ordered the LNC to re-file by June 16. Here is the three-page ruling in Libertarian National Committee v Saliba, e.d., 5:23cv-11074.

The case had been filed because the Libertarian National Committee believes that trademark law can be used to adjudicate an internal dispute over who the officers of the Michigan Libertarian Party are.

In the meantime, no attorney for the Defendants has entered the case. The Defendants include four Libertarian Party nominees from the 2022 election, including the party’s gubernatorial nominee.

Thanks to Independent Political Wire for this news.