Third Party Watch

TUESDAY — FEBRUARY 28th, 2006

Today’s candidate of the day is Art Olivier for California Governor.

Olivier is the former mayor of Bellflower, California and the Libertarian candidate for governor this year. In 2000, Olivier was the LP’s Vice-Presidential nominee and Harry Browne’s running mate.

It’s not clear if Olivier has much valuable name recognition as [...]

Today is Ralph Nader’s 72nd birthday.

He celebrated by attacking the U.S. auto industry for failing to stimulate innovation…

“Even as some Japanese and European manufacturers prove that advanced technology sells—especially in safety and fuel efficiency—the market-shrinking domestic auto industry thinks that the only path to profitability is penny pinching on parts.”

This is an interesting little article from The Bonita Daily News:

The Bonita Springs City Council elections and the Oscars coincidentally take place three days apart starting next Sunday. So with the three public forums, featuring the seven candidates for three council seats, in the books, it’s time to hand out a few awards.

Here is the [...]

MONDAY — FEBRUARY 27th, 2006

Today’s candidate of the day is Roger I. Price for U.S. Senate.

Price is running as the Personal Choice Party’s candidate for U.S. Senate in Utah. He’ll face Republican Senator Orrin Hatch in November.

The website: http://www.rogeriprice.com

SUNDAY — FEBRUARY 26th, 2006

Today’s candidate of the day is Ellis Boal for Charlevoix County Commissioner in Michigan.

Boal is the Green Party’s candidate for this office and in 2004 he received 19% of the vote in a 2-way race for Prosecutor. He’s also written out the details of his 2004 campaign on his [...]

Great news for Libertarians courtesy of Ballot Access News:

On February 24, Paul Edward Trujillo, chair of the Valencia County Commission, changed his registration from “Democrat” to “Libertarian”. He is running for re-election this year and will run as a Libertarian.

The board is responsible for allocating the county’s $18 million annual budget, creating local laws [...]

SATURDAY — FEBRUARY 25th, 2006

Today’s candidate of the day is Wilbur Wood for U.S. Congress.

Wood is running as a Libertarian candidate in Virginia’s 10th Congressional district. He’ll be facing off against Republican Congressman Frank Wolf who is seeking his 14th term this November.

Wood has a nice looking website, I’ll give him that.

The website: [...]

Something interesting that I just noticed…

California’s gubernatorial race this year features not one, not two, but actually THREE different former Vice-Presidential candidates.

Peter Camejo, of course, was Ralph Nader’s running mate in 2004. Also, the Libertarian candidate Art Olivier was Harry Browne’s 2000 Vice-Presidential candidate. The third is Janice Jordan, the Peace and [...]

No real surprise here, this has been expected for quite a while…

From The Mercury News:

Peter Camejo, an independent vice presidential candidate in 2004, announced Wednesday he intends to enter the race for governor of California.

Camejo plans to submit papers Thursday in Sacramento to run as a Green Party candidate, a spokesman, Cres Vellucci, said. Camejo [...]

FRIDAY — FEBRUARY 24th, 2006

Today’s candidate of the day is Mike Kole for Indiana Secretary of State.

Kole is running as the Libertarian candidate in this statewide race. According to the Indianapolis Star, Kole is also currently reading Nelson’s Trafalgar: The Battle that Changed the World following a trip to Spain.

The website: http://www.mikekole.com

I’ve gotten a few emails from people telling me that I was all wet when I said Ben Westlund would be a major factor in the Oregon governor’s race. Frankly it’s kind of funny to hear members of third parties that have never managed in their lives to elect a single state senator anywhere [...]

THURSDAY — FEBRUARY 23rd, 2006

Today’s candidate of the day is Jack Harrison for California Attorney General.

Harrison is an attorney and a Berkeley Rent Stabilization Board Commissioner. He’s running as the Peace and Freedom Party’s candidate in this state-wide race.

The likely Democratic nominee is Oakland mayor, former Governor, and former Presidential candidate Jerry [...]

You’ve got to love the quote from this opinion pice in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram that says the Texas Democratic Party is on the way to becoming a viable third party.

This is also an interesting take on what has become a largely a 2-way race between Perry and Strayhorn.

Texas newspapers are full [...]

WEDNESDAY — FEBRUARY 22nd, 2006

Today’s candidate of the day is John Dashler for Governor of Georgia.

I just learned about this guy a few weeks ago from Richard Winger of Ballot Access News. After looking over Dashler’s website, and trying to get a general feel for his background and positions, he’s become [...]

It seems that the Green Party has recruited itself a very qualified candidate for Congress in California’s 29th District. This will certainly be a race worth watching.

The Press Release:

Bill Paparian, former Pasadena Mayor, announced today that he will be a candidate for Congress in the November General Election for the 29th Congressional District.

“It is [...]

Maybe we should start a feature called “Kook of the Week” or something?

From the website of Jonathon “The Impaler” Sharkey.

My Vice-President will be a woman. Why? I want to eliminate the US deficit. The only way I see to do this, is to put a woman in charge of it. In 90%+ of [...]

Just got this email that appears to have been sent out to the Constitution Party’s mailing list.

My only issue with this is that it’s not very specific. Along with saying they want to win some actual elections this year I’d like to have seen him mention Rick Jore and possibly 2-3 other winnable races. [...]

TUESDAY — FEBRUARY 21st, 2006

Today’s candidate of the day is Mike Henkel for Dunedin City Commissioner.

Henkel is running as a Green in the March 14th municipal election down in Pinellas County, Florida.

The website: http://www.mikehenkel.com

Minnesota has an interesting program that I just learned about via the Jesse Mortenson for State House website.

Basically…

Individuals who contribute to a registered political party or to a state level partisan candidate who has agreed to limit expenditures are eligible to apply for a refund of their contribution. For purposes of the political contribution refund [...]

Looks like the Libertarians will have a one-on-one race for U.S. Senate in Indiana as no Democrat filed to run against Senator Dick Lugar.

Ballot Access News reports:

The Indiana U.S. Senate race this year will have only a Republican and a Libertarian on the ballot, since no Democrat filed for the May 2006 primary. Although the [...]

MONDAY — FEBRUARY 20th, 2006

Today’s candidate of the day is Rick Jore for Montana State House.

Jore is a former Republican state legislator, elected in 1994 and re-elected in ‘96 and ‘98. In 2000 he joined the Constitution Party and ran for re-election on the CP’s ballot line. In a 2-way race he [...]

Third Party Watch was briefly mentioned in this article in Sunday’s edition of The Oregonian, the largest newspaper in the Pacific Northwest with a circulation of roughly 430,000.

In Texas, for example, two independent candidates are running for governor, one of whom has raised close to $2 million so far. Independents are running for governor in [...]

The Libertarian Party’s website now has a link where you can find literature, bumperstickers, buttons, and other campaign items…

http://www.lpstuff.com/shop

SUNDAY — FEBRUARY 19th, 2006

Today’s candidate of the day is Ben Westlund for Governor of Oregon.

State Senator Ben Westlund recently dropped his party affiliation and launched a bid for governor.

He has a compelling story… somewhat troubled past, successful businessman, elected to the legislature, and he’s even survived a battle with lung cancer.

In the final [...]

SATURDAY — FEBRUARY 18th, 2006

Today’s candidate of the day is Bernie Sanders for U.S. Senate.

A self-proclaimed socialist, Sanders is currently the only independent in the U.S. House of Representatives. He’s also the overwhelming favorite to replace outgoing Senator Jim Jeffords, a former Republican who became an independent himself.

The website: http://www.bernie.org