* The petitioning chart in the April Ballot Access News shows Americans Elect on in 21 states and finished petitioning in 11 other states. Assuming that none of those states fail, it has surpassed the Libertarian Party as the leader in ballot access among parties other than Democrat and Republican. Many of the major hurdles are behind them, including Oklahoma, North Carolina, California and Georgia. A number of other states have been certified, finished, or made significant progress in the month since this chart was compiled, but I’m not allowed to share the details; subscribe to Ballot Access News to get the latest.
There will be three caucus rounds May 8, 15 and 22, and candidates must qualify a week ahead of time for each round. With no candidate even half way to qualifying, it appears unlikely that they will qualify even for the latest round. Jim Cook also writes in the comments “I have heard a rumor, unsubstantiated, that something “interesting” will happen on May 15. This could refer to many things — surely something interesting somewhere, somehow will happen on 5/15. At least we should all keep our eyes peeled (ouch).”
The board can appoint a candidate under AE rules.
Speculation about likely candidates has been swirling. The top declared candidate is Buddy Roemer, while the top draft candidate is Ron Paul (who would become ineligible during the process if he does not accept the draft, before the final round of voting). Jon Huntsman is being considered a possible candidate. Another possible candidate could be the former head of the GAO, David Walker. NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg was frequently mentioned in the early stages of the AE effort, but has not been as frequently featured in speculation about candidates lately, although he is among the top draft candidates.
Much more at Irregular Times.
Americans Elect direct online nomination process is a unique opportunity for change in our country, but we need to act NOW, not next week or next month, it will be too late!
The Modern Whigs and the CA Whig Party are supporting the Americans Elect process for nominating a President.
Currently these candidates have asked for our “Support”:
Declared candidates- Buddy Roemer, Michealene Risley, T.J. O’Hara
Draft candidate- Andre Barnett
We urge you to go to http://www.americanselect.org,
Evidently, the May 15th surprise is that the first round of voting will not be on May 8th. It’ll be on May 15th. Then there’ll be just one more round of voting in May, one week later.
“The next time I noticed him he was the “godfather” of FairVote, the Center for Voting and Democracy.” That’s why I have no respect for the guy.
#10 and #11, I’m especially interested in the John Anderson back story from that period. I voted for him because I believed it was a good “protest” vote but didn’t care much for his politics. The next time I noticed him he was the “godfather” of FairVote, the Center for Voting and Democracy.
I won’t speculate on AE until the first phase of their primary is over. I haven’t been in politics as long as some here, but I know a week is a lifetime in politics.
The “board” picking a candidate flies in the face of their stated mission. They should just take the top 10 declared & draft candidates and make that the caucus ballot. A lot of people got involved in this process, not as many as AE had hoped for but still a lot. To just nominate somebody via the governing board isn’t going to sit well with a lot of people.
As for AE, their failure to find a candidate and their failure to excite the public is quite predictive of their imminent demise.
Americans Elect is an empty shell, plenty of money but no ideas, no ideology, so no reason for existing. It is stillborn.
If should have been named the Anencephalic Party.
AE = the AnEncephalic Party
paulie- I think it is legit to compare Huntsman to Paul, Roemer and Johnson from and ideological and style perspective (none are ‘acceptable’ to the rigid right wingers who have seized control of the party). However there is a difference, the GOP establishment (for the most part) didn’t treat Huntsman like a pariah as they did to those 3 (and what really made both Johnson and Roemer feel working within the GOP was hopeless). Many establishment GOPers were privately rooting for Huntsman (particularly if Mitt stumbled). That can not be said of Johnson, Paul or Roemer. It is that fact that leads me to believe that Huntsman may prefer waiting out this current tide and being in a strong position when/if the GOP returns to a more historically ‘normal’ and less rigid place. And the truth is Huntsman is much closer ideologically to the current GOP (and particularly Romney) than Anderson was when Reagan seized control of the Party.
Also Huntsman’s natural base (Mormon/Utah) will not be encouraging any 3rd Party run. After the terrible campaign he had I don;t think he is clamoring to jump in. My guess is he is not missing being a candidate at this point.
But then I though Dexy’s Midnight Runners were going to be the next Beatles so what do I know when it comes to predictions?
Anderson had the chance to create a 3rd party AE style in 1984 using his base and ballot status from 1980. A new candidate for 84 was in place along with a significant team providing campaign management, fundraising, an established donor base, and professional ballot access help. It was already destined to surpass his 1980 effort in fundraising and exposure. Perhaps that is why Anderson pulled the plug at the last minute in 84.
John Anderson faded after 1980 despite getting enough votes nationally to qualify with the FEC as a national committee if he created a new political party. But from ehwt I’ve read, the Democrats convinced Anderson not to pursue creating a third party. Unfortunately.
Where as AE is a party looking for a candaite. I imagine that if Huntsman runs and gets over 5% nationally AE will continue to exist and party building. imo.
Richard,
I think AE is finished in several of those states though, and so the advantage goes away when the states finish certifying.
AE has an advantage in OK…not sure about any other states – I would have to look at your list and we can’t discuss the more recent one yet.
Bruuno
Honestly I think he is too far out of step with the Republicans, as are Ron Paul, Gary Johnson, and Buddy Roemer. The Republicans are controlled by a narrow group of ideologues with litmus tests and anyone unwilling to kowtow to them will never get their nomination, no matter how much support they may have from the general public or news media, or how qualified they are for the office. They are lucky when they even get allowed in the debates.
And booed if they support the Golden Rule.
Huntsman’s no Ron Paul, but in many respects he is too much like Ron Paul for today’s NSGOP.
Walker’ll pass up Dean and Nader, and maybe Clinton in time for the first round o voting.
Seems like something like that list of twenty is who AE delegates’ll get to vote from.
Ballot-status wise, the Libertarian Party still has an advantage over Americans Elect in these states: Delaware, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Maryland, Missouri, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, and Texas. Sometimes this Libertarian advantage is because the Libertarian Party is already ballot-qualified and Americans Elect still isn’t; in other states on that list, neither party is ballot-qualified yet but the Libertarian Party has more signatures.
paulie- I just don’t think Huntsman will do it. He might and try to pull of a John Anderson style campaign but he has to look at what happened to Anderson after (vanished). He still might have a real political future in the GOP.
Those that are ahead of David Walker right now-
Roemer, Paul, Huntsman, Rocky Anderson, Lawrence Kotlikoff, Michalaene Risley, Bernie Sanders, Obama, Bloomberg, Johnson, Stephen Colbert, Elizabeth Warren, Dennis Kucinich, Jon Stewart, Hillary Clinton, Ralph Nader, Howard Dean and TJ O’Hara.
Walker is currently in 19th place if you combine declared and undeclared lists with Mike Ballantine nipping at his heals.
Just a guess of how May 15 might go.
Huntsman announces, AE gives him a week, he does a media blitz and spends a few million on ads (plus lots of interviews and articles), qualifies quickly, it’s done.
Bloomberg, Whitman and many others could do the same.
I wonder if they’ll lower their qualifying cutoff line to let Walker be eligible, by lopping off two zeros so it’s ten supporters in each of ten states, then try to get him to declare candidacy.
If the LP gets on ballot in Oklahoma too, it’ll be a proud feat. I think the AE may be a good thing, in some ways anyhow.
If the “board” just decides to nominate Walker without any sort of vote then it will be interesting how the press reacts considering Walker is getting very, very little support from AE ‘caucus’ voters. He has the charisma of a damp rag and virtually no one outside of the beltway has the slightest idea of who he is. If they screw Roemer (or any other leading vote getter) and give it to Walker the press should lead every interview with Walker with a grilling over how disingenuous the entire AE thing is.
If they hafta qualify a week ahead for each round, it’s already to late for evrybody for round one. Will they lower there threshold on qualifications then? It wouldn’t look good if they’d pull a candidate out o nowhere …the details of how they change their process’ll be revealing.