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June 2026 Monthly Open Thread

For over a decade, Independent Political Report has hosted a Monthly Open Thread, providing readers with a dedicated space to share news tips, opinion pieces, and articles on topics related to American third parties, independent candidates and movements, ballot access challenges, and other subjects beyond the two-party system.

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10 Comments

  1. Jake Leonard June 20, 2026

    Latest update on petition objections from the Illinois State Board of Elections website:
    1) Hardin and Grogan’s objections against independent gubernatorial candidate Richard Mayers sustained, and Mayers is off the ballot (Mayers listed for governor and lieutenant governor)
    2) Three objections against the Independence Party slate of Gary Pierce and Alejandro Cabrera were sustained, tossed off the ballot (no official reasoning provided)

    All other objections still show as pending.

  2. Jordan Willow Evans Post author | June 18, 2026

    Darryl: Woah, thank you for sharing. We’ll have something up on the Substack later today and the main site this weekend.

  3. Darryl W Perry June 17, 2026

    US District Court in New Mexico granted the LNC’s Motion for a Preliminary Injunction https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.nmd.557164/gov.uscourts.nmd.557164.25.0.pdf

    Defendants SHALL NOT use Plaintiff’s Mark, LIBERTARIAN PARTY®, including the name “Libertarian Party of New Mexico,” during the pendency of this lawsuit;
    his injunction includes, but it not limited to, removing the Mark from their website, use of the Mark when interacting with members, voters, and the public, or when endorsing or otherwise interacting with candidates, and use of the Mark in any other forum that would create confusion as to whether they are affiliated with the Libertarian National Committee or the national Libertarian Party
    Plaintiff SHALL transfer to the Clerk of Court a bond in the amount of $20,000 within seven (7) days of the issuance of this order

  4. Seebeck June 14, 2026

    >“Progressive activist Robert Milnes of Camden, New Jersey has announced he is running for president for a record seventh time.”

    He STILL hasn’t found a date????

  5. Adamson Scott June 14, 2026

    “Progressive activist Robert Milnes of Camden, New Jersey has announced he is running for president for a record seventh time.”

    It may be a record for him but it’s not an actual record – Harold Stassen ran for the Republican nomination for President nine times – 1944, 1948, 1952, 1964, 1968, 1980, 1984, 1988, and 1992.

  6. Fillmore Frugal June 13, 2026

    The Reform Party, once a major populist political party associated with industrialist Ross Perot, donated $5 to the LPNH’s legal defense fund following its LNC disaffiliation. President Donald Trump, whom the LPNH endorsed for president in 2024, was once a member of the Reform Party, unsuccessfully seeking its presidential nomination in 2000. It was the LPNH’s endorsement of Trump that the LNC cited for the disaffiliation.

  7. Fillmore Frugal June 13, 2026

    Progressive activist Robert Milnes of Camden, New Jersey has announced he is running for president for a record seventh time. He is seeking the 2028 presidential nomination of the Green and Libertarian Parties.

  8. Jake Leonard June 12, 2026

    There are numerous objections pending for various statewide races in the state of Illinois. The following is pending objection hearings before the Illinois State Board of Elections:
    Whitfield Harrington Jr. – American Center Party – U.S. Senator
    Tyrone Muhammad – Independent – U.S. Senator
    Gary Pierce / Alejandro Cabrera – Independence Party – Governor / Lieutenant Governor
    Richard Mayers – Party Unspecified – Governor (also had himself listed for Lieutenant Governor)
    Griselda Romero / Eyde Arndell – Green Party – Governor / Lieutenant Governor
    Collin Corbett / Carolyn Schofield – Independent – Governor / Lieutenant Governor
    Anna Schiefelbein – Green Party – Comptroller
    Jeffrey Schiefelbein – Green Party – Secretary of State
    Timothea Papas – Green Party – Treasurer

    The Libertarian Party of Illinois did not submit petitions for the general election due to having less than 10% of the required signatures required and will soon be working on write-in paperwork for its slate of Taegun Eimer and Christopher Laurent for the gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial election. (Outside of that, LPIL will be focusing on its Cook County slate in November.)

    In 2028, Illinois Libertarians need all the help we can get to regain ballot access for the first time since 2022 — since the LNC did not care about our ballot access efforts in 2024 or 2026.

  9. Jordan Willow Evans Post author | June 4, 2026

    The 2026 Pirate National Conference will take place this weekend, June 6–7, at the Residence Inn by Marriott Boston Harbor in Boston. Delegates will participate both in person and remotely for the event, which coincides with the party’s 20th anniversary.

    IPR invites Pirate Party members and readers to share any updates and developments from the weekend here in our June Monthly Open Thread.

  10. Jake Leonard June 2, 2026

    Nominations in vacancy for recognized political parties came to a close Monday in Cook County, with no Republicans filing for any of the contested countywide positions. (The only races that I can confirm NIVs are for races involving the Board of Commissioners and the Chicago Metropolitan Water Reclamation District.)

    Libertarians were slated in the March primary for four of the five countywide races, including a write-in candidate: County Assessor, County Clerk, Sheriff, and President of the Cook County Board of Commissioners.

    Nico Tsatsoulis, who ran for Assessor in 2022, earned 17.69% of the vote against Democratic incumbent Fritz Kaegi. Tsatsoulis ran uncontested in the primary, and will face off against Pat Hynes, who defeated Kaegi in the Democratic primary.

    Hontas Farmer won the nomination via write-in candidacy for County Clerk and will face off against Democratic incumbent Monica Gordon in November. In 2022, Joseph Schreiner earned 2.18% in a three-way race against Democratic incumbent Karen Yarbrough and Republican Tony Peraica. Following the death of Yarbrough, Schreiner ran again in 2024 for the position, earning 4.26%, also in a three-way race against Democrat Monica Gordon and Republican Michelle Pennington.

    Brad Sandefur will be on the ballot in November for Sheriff against Democratic incumbent Thomas Dart. In 2022, Sandefur earned 2.9% of the vote in a three-way race against Dart and Republican Lupe Aguirre.

    Michael Murphy is the candidate for President of the Cook County Board of Commissioners, following a primary win over Justin Tucker. Murphy, who ran for Treasurer in 2022 (2.31%) and Clerk of the Circuit Court in 2024 (6.39%), steps in following Thea Tsatsos’ 2022 run for the same race. Tsatsos earned 3.16% in that race against Democratic incumbent Toni Preckwinkle and Republican Bob Fioretti.

    If you want to know how to support these candidates in the November general election, feel free to contact the Libertarian Party of Chicago for more information.

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