via Richard Winger at Ballot Access News
The Washington Post has this summary of when presidential primaries will be held in each state in 2016. The article reveals how much uncertainty still remains for many states.
These states will hold a presidential primary for the Libertarian Party: Arizona; California; Delaware if any Libertarians can get on the party’s presidential primary ballot, which is very difficult; Idaho if at least two Libertarians file; Missouri; Montana if at least two Libertarians file; Nebraska; North Carolina; Oklahoma if the party gets on the ballot; South Dakota if the party gets on the ballot.
These jurisdictions will hold a presidential primary for the Green Party: Arizona; California; Delaware with the same note as for the Libertarians; District of Columbia; Massachusetts; New York; Ohio.
Thanks, Fred. Please let me know when you find out the answer to that last part for sure. Disaffiliation sounds very likely from what I have heard.
For Oregon,
That could potentially depend on if the LPO disaffiliates or not.
If the state is affiliated with the national party we would most likely be sending delegates to national convention and putting the national candidate on the ballot (provided the national party recognizes our delegation.
If the LPO disaffiliates, the LPO ballot would decide who we place on the general ballot–I think.
Another O/T, will put a post up later if no one beats me to it but in the meantime:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, January 16, 2015
Contact: Andy Craig for Congress
870.329.7217 | [email protected]
facebook.com/AndyCraig2016
Andy Craig, a political activist and freelance journalist, announced today that he is running for Congress, in Wisconsin’s 4th US House district.
“60% of Americans say they want a third party, and millions of them voted for one in 2014. The failed ideologies of the past are finding that their last refuge is the Democratic and Republican parties, and it’s time to break their stranglehold on national office. I think the voters are ready to vote for something different. And in Milwaukee, I intend to see that they get that chance.”
Craig lives in a residential Milwaukee neighborhood just outside of Wauwatosa, with his husband, whom he married in an Iowa civil ceremony prior to a Federal court striking down Wisconsin’s ban on same-sex marriage. In 2014, he was the Libertarian nominee for secretary of state, receiving 59,000 votes on the platform of eliminating the office, and successfully re-established the Libertarian ballot line in the state.
“I consider myself a pragmatic libertarian. ‘Fiscally conservative and socially liberal’ is often used to describe us, but I think if we’re being honest that also describes a majority of Americans. Our bifurcated House of Representatives is profoundly unrepresentative of this common-sense consensus.”
“I’m an anti-war free-market individualist, a civil liberties advocate for smaller government, who believes in criminal justice reform and simplifying and lowering taxes. I don’t want to go to Washington to impose my view of the good life on 330 million Americans, I just want to defend your right to make your own decisions, at the local level and as individuals.”
Craig acknowledges an uphill battle in the deep-blue district, currently represented by four-term incumbent Gwen Moore.
“The 4th District, for good and valid reasons, will probably never elect a Republican. But that doesn’t mean we’re stuck with a Democratic incumbent for all time. When the only other alternative has been the national Republican Party, it’s no surprise that the Democratic nominee wins in a landslide. It’s time to have real competition on the issues that matter to the people of Milwaukee, with a candidate willing to compete for all the votes. In the youngest and most diverse district in the state, we have the potential to forge a new way forward. That’s why I’m running for Congress in 2016.”
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Here in Wisconsin, a few years back before my involvement, the state party deliberately had a contested primary for state senate. It was more-or-less a matter of left-libertarian vs. right-libertarian, and they publicly debated each other, etc. Didn’t really seem to work, it got maybe a couple of local newspaper write-ups and no more than usual votes for the winner in the general. In retrospect seems a silly thing to do when one of them could have run for state assembly and the other for state senate.
Actually we are not as much earlier this year as many years. The Republicans will be about a month after us and the Democrats haven’t said yet.
I think everyone here knows that in many of the states that have LP primaries it’s non-binding, the only question is whether there are any exceptions to this.
I would guess not, but it’s possible. In some states though the primary isn’t until after the convention, anyway. That was the case in California in 2012, nine candidates were still on the June ballot even after Johnson had already been nominated. That’s probably true of some of the others too since our convention is so much earlier in the year than the big-two. Arizona LP apparently once successfully sued to *not* have a presidential primary. Seems to be candidates only bother to file for them (if they do at all) in states where it’s very easy to get on the primary ballot. I don’t recall any state party actively promoting its primary, for any office, except for when they need a certain minimum number of votes in the primary to get their downticket candidates on the general election ballot.
Thanks. That makes sense. What about any state LPs doing so voluntarily? I’m not aware of any that do, but I don’t know for sure that there aren’t any.
States don’t have the power to make presidential primaries binding. The US Supreme Court had 3 cases between 1972 and 1981 that, together, make it clear parties can do what they want on national convention delegates.
As far as I know it is up to the state LPs in each state. I don’t know of any state that forces LP convention delegates to be bound by the results of a primary for presidential elections. I’m curious whether any states do that voluntarily, though.
I was wondering the same thing myself. I know in general LP primaries aren’t usually binding, and rarely have much impact on the nomination race or garner much notice. I know there have been a couple of examples of it having an impact on how the convention played out, but more as a matter of public perception leading into the convention than actually affecting the composition of the delegates. I’m assuming it will be up the state LPs, but there might be statutory rules as well.
If memory serves correctly, in 2012 the Greens considered all primaries binding, the Libertarians did not.
Do the state LPs or GPs in any of these states consider these primaries binding on their presidential nomination delegates? Also, is Oregon LP going to have its (privately funded and administered, all-mail just like the government run elections there) presidential primary, and will it be binding?