According to this story, No Labels will hold a virtual convention with delegates from all 50 states on Friday, March 8, to decide whether to nominate a presidential candidate.
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For most of this year, the Michigan Republican Party has been split into two factions, with each one claiming to be the legitimate state party. On February 27, a state circuit court enjoined one of the persons who claims to be state chair from representing herself that way, until the trial, which begins on June 10. Pego v Karamo, 17th circuit court, 24-658-AZ.
The fact that a Michigan state court is adjudicating an internal party split will create a precedent that courts can handle these disputes. In the past, when qualified minor parties in Michigan have had similar internal disputes, the Secretary of State and the state courts have refused to adjudicate them. That means that neither faction can place nominees on the ballot. In Michigan, small qualified parties nominate by convention, not primary.
For instance, the American Independent Party had an internal dispute in1976, and the Secretary of State refused to put either set of nominees on the ballot. The same thing happened to the Reform Party in 2000. Michigan was the only state in the nation that kept Pat Buchanan off its general election ballot. One faction of the Reform Party said Buchanan was its nominee; the other faction said it was John Hagelin. So the Secretary of State refused to adjudicate the dispute and kept both off the ballot. In the future, the Pego precedent should prevent such an outcome for qualified minor parties.
The Rhode Island Libertarian Party has found a state representative who is willing to introduce a bill, making it easier for a party to gain and keep qualified status. Current Rhode Island law requires 5% for President or Governor. The bill would lower the vote test to 2% and expand the list of statewide offices which count.
The national median vote test is 2%. The bill will be introduced after a few more sponsors have been found.
Michigan held presidential primaries on February 27 for the Republican and Democratic Parties.
Here is a link to the unofficial results.
On February 27, the Indiana Supreme Court upheld the law that requires primary candidates to have voted in each of the last two primaries, and to have chosen the primary ballot of the party in which the candidate seeks to run. State ex rel John Rust v Morales. The decision is not yet on the Indiana Supreme Court’s website. See this story.
The lower state court had struck down the law. The law also says that if a political party wishes to waive the rule for any particular candidate, it may do so. But the Republican Party did not grant a waiver for John Rust, so he can’t be on the May 2024 Republican primary for U.S. Senate. The decision leaves just one candidate on that ballot.