Monday, November 30, 2009

Illinois Gubernatorial candidate not releasing income tax returns…

Illinois Green Party Gubernatorial candidate Rich Whitney is not releasing his income tax returns. A posting on NBCChicago.com, is critical of a number of candidates for Illinois Governor are not releasing their tax statements. Whitney did not want to release the documents because of his wife's privacy.

Two Republicans also have refused to release their information and another Republican will only release the income tax information if “everybody else does”.

Two Democrats mentioned in the piece said they would release their information, but have not done it yet.

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Jesse Ventura: MSNBC paid for my silence

In an interview with the Los Angeles Times’ Scott Collins, Jesse Ventura talked about his new television show on truTV and a few other surprising things.

The former Independent Governor of Minnesota also touched on his time on cable television on MSNBC. He said “weird phone calls” started happening asking if Ventura was against the war in Iraq. Which Ventura was against.

Ventura said he was being groomed to get a five day-a-week TV show, then he was taken off the air and not even being used as a consultant, but was still paid for three years. Ventura was quoted saying, “Why do you think you didn't hear from me for three years?”

The interview also focus on Ventura’s conspiracy based show “Conspiracy Theory”. Ventura talked about 9/11 terror attack conspiracies and weather control conspiracies.

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Is the door opening to Third Party conservatives?

Two recent polls show there may be an opening for conservative Third Parties in the upcoming 2010 elections.

Democracy Corp said in a recent poll, “only 16 percent have a positive view of the current economy and only a third think the economy is ‘starting’ to improve.” The results of the poll shows that Independents “are particularly pessimistic” on economic issues. People vote with their pocketbooks and if voters are not will to accept the economy is doing well Democrats will fall.

But what about Republicans? When you look at numbers from an “excitement” poll conducted by Research 2000 for the DailyKos, the chances for conservative independent or Third Party candidates are high. The poll shows more than half of the country has negative views of Congressional Democrats and Republicans, and the parties in general.

The excitement gap is where the big news happens. The Research 2000/DailyKos poll asked, “In the 2010 Congressional elections will you definitely vote, probably vote, not likely vote, or definitely will not vote?” 81% of Republican Voters said they are Definitely or Probably Voting in 2010, 65% of Independent voters also felt the same way, with only 56% Democratic voters feeling the same way.

If a conservative candidate can strike a credible message on the economy a third party candidate could get some traction. We saw how in just one month a Third Party candidate in upstate New York (Doug Hoffman) turned the race on its head. It took visits from the Vice President, and the endorsement from the Republican to beat the Third Party challenger.

If Democrats fail to garner excitement and support an independent/Third Party candidate could take some of their votes and then battle for votes from the right and make it into Congress.

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Bloomberg for Mayor: The $100 Million Dollar Mayoral Campaign

The final numbers are in on the New York’s Mayor Michael Bloomberg's re-election spending. The New York Times says Mayor Bloomberg spent about $102,000,000 to get re-elected to a third term as mayor. That equals about $183 per vote.

Bloomberg is now top-spending self-financed politician in U.S. history. In previous campaigns he spent $85,000,000 and $74,000,000.

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Bernie Sanders makes some news on Sunday talk shows…

Vermont Independent Senator Bernie Sanders makes some news on Sunday talk shows.

Senator Sanders said he would not vote for Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke to be reappointment to his position. Sanders said on ABC’s ‘This Week’ program, “I absolutely will not vote for Mr. Bernanke. He is part of the problem. He's the smartest guy in the world, why didn't he do anything to prevent us from sinking into this disaster that Wall Street caused and which he was a part of?"

The Progressive Senator also said he would not force a public option in the health care reform bill. Senator Sanders said he would like get a public option, but does not believe is worth destroying the rest of the bill over the public option issue.

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Progressive Party of Vermont comes out with it’s own loyalty-ish pledge…

The Vermont’s Progressive Party comes out with it’s own loyalty-ish pledge. Martha Abbott, the Chairwoman of the Vermont Progressive Party, explains on the party blog what it will take to keep a Progressive candidate out of the 2010 Governor’s race.

Abbott says these the key issues are:
*Enacting a Single Payer Health Insurance System
*Closing (or not extending the license of) Entergy Nuclear (formerly known as VT Yankee)
*Fixing the insolvency of Vermont’s Unemployment Insurance fund without doing it on the backs of the workers who are unemployed.
*Fixing the state employees retirement fund (where retired teachers currently receive an average of slightly more than $10,000 per year and retired state employees currently receive an average of slightly more than $14,000 per year) without gouging current and future retirees.

Abbott wrote, “…it is not about what candidates say, but about what they do… We are looking for someone who will be proactive at trying to rally people behind the needed changes.” So it appears the Progressive Party is willing to let the Democrats have the only major candidate on the left, but only it the Progressives are happy with the choice.

Abbott suggested a number of possible Progressive candidates. Interestingly Anthony Pollina, former Progressive candidate for Governor, was not mentioned in the list. Is that because Abbott felt people knew enough about Pollina, is this a sign that Pollina will not be for Governor again, or could this mean Pollina will look for the Democratic nod?

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Sunday, November 29, 2009

Nader “absorbing” information about possible run for Senate…

Ralph Nader is “absorbing” information about possible run for Senate. Susan Haigh writes for the Associated Press, “Ralph Nader says he wants to gauge the level of grass-roots support before deciding whether to make a bid to represent Connecticut in the Senate.”

The Connecticut Green Party is trying to persuade the consumer advocate and former President candidate to challenge Democratic Senator Chris Dodd in 2010. State Green Party spokesman Tim McKee says social networking Web pages are springing up urging him to run for Senate.

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Cook Political: Third Parties making a difference…

Third Parties are making a difference in New England according to an opinion piece in the Wall Street Journal. Jennifer Duffy from the Cook Political Report writes on WSJ.com, “Third-party candidates rarely win elections. So what does it say about the deep blue states of Massachusetts and Rhode Island that they now have credible independents running for governor next year?”

Duffy writes that because of Democratic dominance in New England the opportunity has arisen, the opening is there for a third party or independent candidate to take the wind from the Democrat.

Duffy points out that in Massachusetts, state Treasurer Tim Cahill now has more than six times the amount of money that incumbent Democratic Governor Deval Patrick has in his bank account the end of the last quarter. Cahill was a Democrat, but resigned to run as an independent. She continues to write about former Republican Sen. Lincoln Chafee who is running for Governor in Rhode Island as an independent, recent polls show him getting about one third of the vote.

Duffy argued that the rise of Chafee and Cahill mostly depends upon their personality and winning disaffected voters.

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Friday, November 27, 2009

Greens picket Nader – begging him to run for Senate…

Green Party members are picket Ralph Nader, asking him to run for Senate. In an Associated Press article posted on Courant.com, Connecticut Green Party Spokesman Tim McKee was quoted saying weak polling numbers from Senator Chris Dodd get the Greens a great shot to pick-up the U.S. Senate seat. McKee was quoted, “A lot of Democrats would be upset about the prospect (of Nader entering the race). But we look at it as (he's) already lost the seat."

The Connecticut Greens planned a rally for Friday afternoon in West Hartford, where Nader is scheduled to speak at a book-signing. The rally will beg Nader to run for Senate.

McKee estimates Nader will need $3 million to $5 million for the campaign.

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Husband & Wife running for office in Maryland…

A news release from the Libertarian Party of Maryland announced they selected candidates for Governor & Lieutenant Governor. They selected Susan Gaztañaga as their candidate for Governor and Doug McNeil as their candidate for Lieutenant Governor.

They also selected Dr. Richard Davis is running in the 1st Congressional District and Lorenzo Gaztañaga, Susan’s husband, to run for Congress in the 2nd District.

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Independence Party of Minnesota makes major change…

Independence Party of Minnesota makes major change to its endorsement process. The party ended its experiment with cross-endorsement. Eric Black writes in MinnPost.com, “The party has gone back and forth on this issue over the years… but the 2008 experience with cross-endorsement was very negative and [Party Chairman Jack] Uldrich said he thinks the party will be firm in the new policy."

It’s a move to protect the independence of the Independence Party brand. Black continued to write, “The most immediate impact of the change is that Dr. Maureen Reed, who was seeking the endorsement of both the DFL and IP in her race for Congress in the 6th District, will completely focus on the DFL process.” Reed is running against Republican incumbent Representative Michelle Bachmann.

In 2008 the party did endorse two DFL (Minnesota’s Democrats) congressional candidates, both candidates lost. Party Chair Uldrich said the dual endorsements “didn't provide any tangible benefit” to the Independence Party.

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New Rhode Island party facing one of the largest fines in a campaign-finance dispute...

A new Rhode Island political party may face one of the largest fines in a campaign-finance dispute. Steve Peoples writes on ProJo.com, “The state Board of Elections has quietly offered to settle a campaign-finance dispute with the newly established Moderate Party of Rhode Island for what may be the largest fine in the board’s history.”

The report says the state is asking three-month-old party to forfeit a $10,000 donation and its chairman to pay another $10,000 from his own pocket. If they did not agree to the terms, officials threatened to have the attorney general’s office launch civil or criminal investigations into party officials for violating Rhode Island’s finance laws.

The article quotes party chairman Kenneth J. Block, “That was a rotten deal any which way you sliced it. And frankly, a deal designed to be rejected… I’m ready to go to war on this… [the investigation is] 100-percent politically motivated… We are threats to the establishment.”

ProJo.com says the battle comes from these moves, “On Sept. 21, Block donated $10,000 to his organization’s state committee, the annual individual maximum allowed by state law for party building, which covers expenses related to staffing, rent and utilities, but not specific elections. On Sept. 26, Block, a Barrington software engineer, wrote another $10,000 check to the Barrington Moderate Party Town Committee, which had been formed just two days before. And on Sept. 28, the Barrington committee sent $10,000 –– all but $100 in its bank account –– to the state committee.”

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2009 indy candidate for Governor calls for investigation…

The New Jersey Star-Ledger is reporting former independent New Jersey Gubernatorial candidate Christopher Daggett wants state to investigate robocalls that he says “severely damaged” his candidacy.

Matt Friedman wriets on PolitickerNJ.com the question comes from, “The call, in which a woman’s voice attacks Republican Chris Christie for being ‘wrong where it matters most,’ urges listeners to ‘remember Chris Daggett's words: It's never wrong to vote for the right person.’

The Democratic State Committee’s admitted that it paid for the robocalls. The Daggett camp is saying the call violated state law "to support or defeat a candidate for Governor or in aid of the candidacy of a candidate for Governor in the general election."

We’ll see what happens. We’re not sure how Daggett will fair in this battle. Possibly his most effective focus could be changing election law that puts Democrat and Republican candidates on the top of each ballot and buries third party candidates in a random order at the bottom of the ballot – he’s already sued over this one with the Libertarian candidate for New Jersey Governor.

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Lou Dobbs polling at 6% in possible run for President, beats other third party candidates...

Lou Dobbs is polling at 6% in possible run for President. Democracy Corps conducted what could be the first poll including Lou Dobbs as a candidate for President, considering the former CNNer has not officially decided to run for President or ever run for any office, his numbers are pretty good. Democracy Corps identified Dobbs as an America First Party candidate.

Including people that are leaning toward a candidate, the 2012 election match showed President Obama getting re-elected in a race versus Mitt Romney, Lou Dobbs and Ralph Nader. The results:

President Obama (D) 47%
Mitt Romney (R) 37%
Lou Dobbs (AFP) 6%
Ralph Nader (G) 4%
Other 2%

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NY Governor Patterson helps third parties…

New York Governor David Patterson helps third parties. A Rasmussen Reports polls shows that if Democratic Governor David Patterson can beat New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo in the Democratic primary third parties will likely be a big beneficiary.

In polls for the 2010 Governor’s Office with Paterson as the Democrat “other” gets 10 to 13 percent, if Cuomo is only the ballot “other” only gets between 2 and 6 percent.

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If Florida Republican Governor ran as independent he would become Senator…

If Florida Republican Governor Charlie Crist ran as independent he would become Senator. Florida Governor Crist is facing a tough primary challenger from the right in his run for U.S. Senate. Many Republicans are not happy with Crist’s more liberal stands on a number of issues, and that has opened the opportunity for former state House Speaker Marco Rubio to make a hard run at Crist for the Republican nod.

So what if Crist were to run as an independent candidate? He would win in a close race. A Daily Kos showed Governor Crist would be come Senator Crist. The likely Democrat in the race is Congressman Kendick Meek.

The poll showed Governor Crist would win, Congressman Meek coming in second, and Rubio coming in third with a tally of 32-31-27. But that shows the winner is with-in the margin of error of the last place finisher.

This could get interesting, especially with 10% people saying they would not know who to vote for if this three-way battle does happen.

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5% of California voters looking for “other” choice for Senate…

Five-percent of California voters looking for “other” choice for Senate. A Rasmussen Reports polls shows 5% of voter are looking to vote for “other” in the race for U.S. Senate from California in 2010.

Senator Barbara Boxer has a commanding lead in the poll getting 46% of the vote, the Republican candidate being either Assemblyman Chuck DeVore or ex-Hewlett Packard CEO Carly Fiorina is getting 36% or 37%, and “other” picks-up 5%. The undecideds show-up at 13 or 12%.

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”Others” getting some numbers in AZ governor race…

”Others” are picking-up 7% to 9% in Arizona Gubernatorial race polls from Rasmussen Reports.

The polls shows if Aricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio is the Republican candidate he leads the race with 51% percent of the vote. The polled showed Democrat Terry Goddard getting 39% of the vote, as we said 7% for “some other candidate” and only four percent don’t know whom they want.

If the incumbent Republican Governor Jan Brewer gets the GOP nod the race changes drastically. Governor Brewer only gets 35%, training Goddard who gets 44%. In this races “other” gets 9%, and undecideds jump to 12%.

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Green Party Congressional candidate accused of faking own mother's signature…

Green Party Congressional candidate faces ballot challenge in Illinois. James Fuller writes on DailyHerald.com, “If the challenges to Dan Kairis' nominating petitions prove true, then… [he] doesn't know his family and friends very well.”

The Green Party candidate running for Illinois’ 14th Congressional District is accused of forging signatures to get onto the ballot. Fuller writes, “rules require Kairis to have only 38 signatures from registered voters in the district to appear on the ballot. Kairis, of South Elgin, filed 62 signatures. [The] challenge is based on the validity of the bulk of those signatures.”
Candidate Kairis says every signature on his petitions is either a friend, neighbor or direct relative, but the challenger even questions if the signatures of Kairis’s son and his mother are the real deal.

The state is now comparing the signatures on the petition to signatures on voter registration cards. Even if every signature is tossed, the Illinois Green Party could still officially make Kairis their candidate and he could still run.

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Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Independent polling at mid-20% in race for Massachusetts Governor…

Independent candidate Tim Cahill is polling in the mid-20% in race for Massachusetts Governor. In a race versus incumbent Governor Deval Patrick, independent Tim Cahill is coming in second place polling at 28% and 25% depending upon which Republican is in the race. In all match-ups 14% are still undecided.

Cahill is the State Treasurer. He was elected to the office as a Democrat, but resigned from the Democratic Party a few months ago.

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Possible independent candidate for Governor in Nevada polling near 30%…

Possible Independent candidate for Governor of Nevada Oscar Goodman is polling near 30%. A new Nevada News Bureau poll shows Republican Brian Sandoval getting 35%, Las Vegas Mayor and possible independent candidate Oscar Goodman at 28% and Democrat Rory Reid getting 21%.

Mayor Goodman, who is a Democrat, has toyed with the idea of running for Governor as an independent candidate. Goodman would have to change his voter registration by the end of December to run as an Independent.

The Thirds sees three hidden stories in this poll.
First: The poll has a +/-5% margin of error which means Goodman could have the lead, but likely not.
Second: The polls results showed 16% preferring some other candidate, who is that other candidate?
Third: Mayor Goodman polled at only 8% in Washoe County which is in the northern part of the state, Goodman is the mayor of Las Vegas in the south of the state. This means that Goodman would likely see positive voting trends in the northern half of the state pulling him closer to the leader Sandoval.

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Doug Hoffman re-concedes the election…

Conservative Party candidate Doug Hoffman re-concedes the election for New York’s 23rd Congressional District.

Jordan Fabian writes on TheHill.com, that after unconceding the race, Hoffman has looked at the latest ballot counting and realized that he lost. With re-counts Democrat Bill Owen’s lead has been cut in half, but that is not enough for Hoffman to win.

Hoffman was quoted saying he lost this race but will stay active in politics, "I plan to stay active in politics and in the weeks and months ahead hope to be able to personally thank all those who made this race so close and exciting," said Hoffman.

Many people expect Hoffman to become the Republican Party and Conservative Party candidate for the same seat in the 2010 election.

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Third Parties using technology to spread the message…

Two third parties recently send-out notes touting their technological out reach.

The Florida Whig Party will be conducting live broadcasting through Livestream.com. While America’s Indpendent Party is hosting “America's Summit - Restore the Republic” conference calls featuring AIP leaders, special guests, and principled, independent, conservatives from across the land

The Florida Whig schedule of broadcast has not been announced, America's Independent Party will hold its conference calls every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday at 9:00pm Eastern time.

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Tuesday, November 24, 2009

3rd Party Candidate says, “Phone ringing off the hook” with third party interest…

Paul C. McKain who is running for Florida's Second Congressional District on the Florida Whig Party ticket tweeted out a comment saying things are looking good for him.

He tweeted, “Phone ringing off the hook with people asking questions about 3rd party. The people are seeing the relevance on their own.

McKain is trying to unseat Democratic Representative Allen Boyd who was first elected to congress in 1996.

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Forget the plane – Teleconference!

Forget the plane – Teleconference! Is the message from the Florida Whig Party.

The party is launching a new movement to push national, state and local leaders to use new teleconferencing technologies instead of expensive air travel.

A post on their website questions, “outrageous use of state airplanes for questionable travel and the part-time status of our Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, and Chief Financial Officer as they all campaign full-time for higher offices…”. Currently in Florida Governor Charlie Crist is running for U.S. Senate, Lieutenant Governor Jeff Kottkamp is running for Attorney General, and Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink is running for Governor.

The party is asking questions including:
“Should the Florida Whig Party require that a minimum percentage of time while in elective office be conducted within the borders of the state rather than in Washington, D.C.?”
“Is Congress able to craft legislation that allows video-conferencing in order to constitute a quorum?”
“Would teleconferencing reduce undue influence and pressure on party members to vote the party line?”
“Would known lobbyists and quiet peddlers of influence and power be reduced because of an increase in local vigilance by local media, interested individuals and groups?”

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Lieberman getting "stubborn"

Independent Connecticut Senator Joe Lieberman is getting “stubborn” on health care reform.

An article on FoxNews.com quotes Senator Lieberman that he is, “going to be stubborn on this." He means that he will be stubborn on not including a "public option" in health care reform.

The article says, “Lieberman says he won't vote to let a bill come to a final vote if a public option is included.” The article continues to say any version of a public option, including a trigger, would get a no vote from Senator Lieberman.

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Independents reaching out to Lou Dobbs…

Independents are reaching out to Lou Dobbs according to an article on CBSNews.com.

Stehpanie Condon posts on CBSNews.com politicals are reaching out to Lou Dobbs. She quotes Dobbs' spokesman Robert Dillenschneider saying politicans have been calling Dobbs that includes, “politicians who are both on the right and some in the center, who are independent.

The post continues to mention that Dobbs could be a candidate for President or a run for Senate in New Jersey against Robert Menendez in 2010,

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Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Jesse Ventura is getting back in the ring…

Jesse Ventura is getting back in the ring on Monday, November 23. The former independent Minnesota Governor and professional wrestler will host “WWE Monday Night Raw” on USA Network. The show will be broadcast from the Giant Center in Hershey, PA.

Ventura is promoting his new show, “Conspiracy Theory with Jesse Ventura”, a new series on truTV network that will premier December 2 at 10:00 PM.

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“Others” ticking-up in Delaware Senate run…

"Others” are ticking-up in Delaware Senate run according to a new poll from Susquehanna Polling and Research, Inc. In the latest poll “other” candidates picked-up six-percent of the vote, compared to three-percent in an April survey.

The poll did not ask what candidates were the “other”.

The poll showed Democrat Beau Biden leading the Republican Mike Castle 45-40%.

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Hoffman not giving-up any more…

Hoffman not giving-up any more on his special election race for New York's 23rd Congressional District. Jordan Fabian writes on TheHill.com, “Conservative Party candidate Doug Hoffman has ‘unconceded’ in New York's special House election.”

Hoffman is “unconceding” after the vote count shrunk to only to 3,026 votes, on election night the difference was 5,335 votes between Hoffman and Democrat Bill Owens.

The “unconceding” is happening because there are more than 10,000 absentee ballots that have not yet been counted. Hoffman would have to take more than 65 percent of the absentee ballots to win.

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Monday, November 16, 2009

State level third party bolts from national party….

The Florida Whig Party has “discontinued” its association party Modern Whig (Party) Club. On the Florida Whig’s reads the part is leaving it’s national club, “pending a response to a formal request to the past Chair for an independent financal audit, identification of the Club treasurer, a certification as to the true membership of the Club, a copy of the minutes, resolutions, and votes for all meetings since inception by the Board of Directors, and a complete roster of all independent and appointed state and local Whig leaders, clubs, and organizations.”

The Florida Whigs also have issues with the national organization because of, “As of Sunday, November 15, 2009 an unknown person(s) to Chairperson Stephens and the FWP, who is believed associated with the prior administration, has once again removed all links to the Florida Whig Party and its candidates on the website of the Modern Whig Club, formerly headquartered in Washington, D.C.”

The blogger whigblog gave some background on the fray writing, “The ‘Florida Whig Party’ pre-dated the Modern Whig Party by over a year. After the formation of the Modern Whigs, they decided to ally themselves with the Modern Whigs on a national level.”

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Bob Barr backs Gitmo move…

2008 Libertarian Presidential candidate Bob Barr is backing the move of Guantanamo Bay prisoners to a prison in Illinois. Jordan Fabian writes on TheHill.com that Barr signed on to a letter with American Conservative Union founder David Keene and Americans for Tax Reform President Grover Norquist saying the move makes sense.

The letter includes, “The scaremongering about (an increased terror threat) should stop… It makes sense for the community, which will benefit from the related employment and has absolutely no reason to fear that prisoners will escape or be released into their communities… But most of all it makes sense for America because it is a critical link in the process of closing Guantanamo and getting this country back to using its tried and true, constitutionally sound institutions.

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Libertarians endorse independent for Senate…

Libertarians endorse independent Joe Kennedy for Senate to take over the late Senator Ted Kennedy’s seat. Kennedy, who has no relation to the family of Senator Kennedy, is now officially backed by the Libertarian Association of Massachusetts.

Kennedy is actually on the Libertarian Association of Massachusetts State Committee. He made the decision to run as an independent because it is more costly to run as a third party candidate, such as a libertarian, than run as an independent.

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Working Families Party expands to Vermont…

The Working Families Party is expanding to Vermont. Nancy Remsen writes on BurlingtonFreePress.com a small group of Vermonters is forming the party. The first state committee meeting of the new party will take place on December 14th.

Dan Brush, one of the party leaders quoted in the article, said he does not expect the party to run candidates in the next election (but left the door open to a few candidates). He says the party would endorse candidates from other parties.

Working Families Party has come under a lot more notice nationally in recent months due to it connections to the scandal-riddled community organizing group Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, better known as ACORN.

Brush said the Vermont branch of the Working Families Party will not have any ties to ACORN. The head of ACORN, Bertha Lewis, is a co-chair of the New York branch of the party. Bob Master, a different co-chair of the New York Working Families Party, will be heading to Vermont. Remsen writes, “[Bob Msters] will visit Vermont next week to help build some enthusiasm for the new party.” But that is all the New Yorkers will have to do with the Vermont branch.

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Sunday, November 15, 2009

No decision from Ron Paul on 2012 presidential run…

Texas Congressman Ron Paul has not made a decision if he will run for President in 2012. The Republican and 1988 Libertarian Party presidential candidate says it’s “too early” to think about 2012.

Andrew Duffelmeyer writes on IowaPolitics.com Dr. Paul is focusing on his re-election to Congress in 2010. Dr. Paul was quoted saying, “[A Presidential run is]… not on my mind, it’s too early, and I will be filing for my congressional seat.”

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Communist Party USA Vice Chair to College Students: Obama is only the beginning

The executive vice chairman of the Communist Party USA Jarvis Tyner spoke at the University of Missouri – Columbia. Casey Smith writes on ColumbiaMissourian.com that Tyner spoke to a crowd of about 70 students. Smith quotes Tyner as saying “[President Obama is] only the beginning… I think he's a transitional president. I think somebody else is going to come in and take it even further."

The Universities “Karl Marx Reading Group” invited Tyner to speak at the school. Tyner told student the Communist Party USA is looking to move into the mainstream, “We're not ready to run for president, but we are ready to run for City Council, school boards. And we're going to do that more.”

There was some protest to Tyner’s visit. Smith writes there was a group of seven students that set up a mock-gulag, “(demonstrating) the Soviet labor camps used to imprison political dissenters as well as criminals…”

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Palin Book: Lieberman encouraging to Palin

In the former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin’s new book “Going Rouge” she describes Independent Connecticut Senator Joe Lieberaman as being very supportive in her Vice Presidential run.

Jeffrey A. Trachtenberg writes about the new book on WSJ.com. Trachtenberg wrote Governor Palin singled out Senator Lieberman as being very supporting when debate preparations were “becoming overwhelming”.

The book quotes Lieberman telling Palin to, “Be yourself… Don’t let these people try to change you. Don’t let them tell you what to say and how to think.”

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Friday, November 13, 2009

Nader for Senate?

Nader for Senate? Could Ralph Nader run for Senate in Connecticut? There is a possibility.

Glenn Thrush writes on Politico.com a number of people are asking Ralph Nader to for the Senate against incumbent Democrat Chris Dodd in 2010. Nader is a registered as a voter in Connecticut. Nader was quoted saying, “You can't believe the number of people of asking me [to run].”

Thrush writes, “Nader's entry as a third party candidate would be terrible news for Dodd, who is hoping to energize his liberal base in possible match-ups against GOP challengers Rob Simmons and Linda McMahon, who lead him in public polls.”

Thrush later added Nader is focused on reforms, not “electoral politics”. Even with that said, Nader has not made a decision on the Senate race.

Independent Senator: Keep terror suspects out of U.S. courts

Today Independent Connecticut Senator Joe Lieberman said terror suspects should be kept out of the United States courts.

In a news release Senator Lieberman said, “The terrorists who planned, participated in, and aided the September 11, 2001 attacks are war criminals, not common criminals. Not only are these individuals not common criminals but war criminals, they are also not American citizens entitled to all the constitutional rights American citizens have in our federal courts… (they) should therefore be tried by military commission rather than in civilian courts in the United States."

Senator Lieberman’s statement continued to say, “It is inconceivable that we would bring these alleged terrorists back to New York for trial, to the scene of the carnage they created eight years ago, and give them a platform to mock the suffering of their victims and the victims' families, and rally their followers to continue waging jihad against America.”

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Colorado Congressional candidate to announce candidacy on Twitter…

Colorado Congressional candidate Rob McNealy will announce his candidacy on Twitter. McNealy will run for the 6th Congressional District in Colorado on the Libertarian Party ticket. Representative Mike Coffman was first elected to the seat in 2008. This is the seat vacated by former Representative Tom Tancredo as he ran for President.
A news release from the Colorado Libertarians says, “Aurora community activist, entrepreneur, and social media expert Rob McNealy, will announce his candidacy for Colorado’s 6th Congressional District, live on the social media platform Twitter, during a launch ceremony that will be held at the South Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce on December 3rd at 6:30 PM.”

McNealy has more than 140,000 followers on Twitter and that is why the announcement will be made on Twitter. McNealy was quoted saying, “I have a great community on Twitter, and I thought they should be the first to know.”

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Third Party candidate waiting….

The Green Party candidate for Illinois Governor is waiting. Steve Rhodes writes on NBCChicago.com, “While the Democratic and Republican candidates for governor duke it out… Green Party candidate Rich Whitney lies in wait.

The article says a win for Whitney would be unlikely, but in 2006 he did receive 10.4% of the vote. Even with that showing, Rhodes writes, “it will likely just be the Democratic nominee standing in the way (of Whitney debating).

Whitney makes for an even more interesting candidate because his has traditionally “conservative” positions on gun control, differing from the Illinois Green Party platform.

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Thursday, November 12, 2009

Independent & Third Party candidates for Governor share forum…

Independent & Third Party candidates for Governor will share a forum in Illinois. An article on THOnline.com says independent candidate Michael White and Constitution Party candidate Randall Stufflebeam will take part in a forum hosted by the Galena Youth Political Organization in Galena, Illinois. The forum will be Sunday, November 15th.

The forum will also feature candidates for Lieutenant Governor and U.S. Senate.

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Independent a strong second for Massachusetts Governor…

Independent Tim Cahill is polling a strong second for Massachusetts Governor. A new WHDH / Suffolk University poll shows State Treasurer Tim Cahill at 26%, putting him in second place for the race for Massachusetts top office. Polls with various Republicans have about 20% of the voters still undecided.

The big story of the poll is that 42% of people approve of Governor Duval Patrick’s job of Governor, but at best only 38% of respondents said they would vote for Governor Patrick’s re-election. That means four percent of people who like Patrick still will not vote for him.

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Independent Gubernatorial candidate says no thanks to major party invitation…

Independent Massachusetts Gubernatorial Tim Cahill says no thanks to major party invitation. Cahill said he rejected the offer to drop his campaign and become the running-mate of Republican Charles Baker.

Andrea Estes wriets on Boston.com Cahill had been contacted by multiple people connected to Baker. Cahill was quoted saying, “I feel like I have every bit as much right to run for the top job as (Baker) does… And I would hope people would respect that.’’

Estes later writes, “A spokesman for Baker said that no one from the campaign had made a formal offer to Cahill.”

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Senator Lieberman “more Republican” and doing better than worse…

Connecticut Independent Senator Joe Lieberman is “more Republican” and doing better than worse according to a new Quinnipiac University poll.

The poll shows voters believed 51-25% that Senator Lieberman's views on issues are closer to the Republican Party than to the Democratic Party. But the big issue for re-election is his approval rating. Voters approve of Lieberman’s job performance 49-44%.

While being below the 50% threshold is not good, in a three-way race with a strong independent candidate 40% is likely a winning vote tally. Lieberman is not up for re-election until 2012 so there is some time for strange things to happen between now and 2012.

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NY23 special election is over, not so fast…

The New York 23rd Congressional District special election is over, not so fast according to Syracuse.com. Mark Weiner writes on Syracuse.com the two key pieces of information that Conservative Party Candidate Doug Hoffman used to concede may not have been true.

When Hoffman conceded he was down 5,335 votes. Weiner writes, “Now a recanvassing in the 11-county district shows that Owens’ lead has narrowed to 3,026 votes over Hoffman… The new vote totals mean the race will be decided by absentee ballots, of which about 10,200 were distributed...

Owens was still sworn-in to congress even through according to Weiner, “the state sent a letter to the House Clerk last week explaining that no winner had been determined in the 23rd District, and therefore the state had not certified the election.”

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Lou Dobbs for President?

Lou Dobbs for President? The CNN commentator left the cable broadcast network “to pursue new opportunities”. The Thirds wonders is that new “opportunity” a run for President as a Third Party candidate.

In saying goodbye to television the Dobbs message sure sounded like a speech that many people make when getting into a political race. He spoke of his accomplishments, “I'm the last of the original anchors here on CNN, and I'm proud to have had the privilege of helping to build the world's first news network.”

But then he talks of something bigger than himself, “Over the past six months, it's become increasingly clear that strong winds of change have begun buffeting this country and affecting all of us.”

Then he follows by saying what he will do is not a personal call, but a call from others. Dobbs said, “…some leaders in media, politics and business have been urging me to go beyond the role here at CNN and to engage in constructive problem-solving, as well as to contribute positively to a better understanding of the great issues of our day.”

He then sets-up the important issues of this time in American history and his possible campaign, “I truly believe that the major issues of our time include the growth of our middle class, the creation of more jobs, health care, immigration policy, the environment, climate change, and our military involvement, of course, in Afghanistan and Iraq…. our now weakened capitalist economy… the lack of true representation in Washington, D.C.”

He says what is wrong in Washington and why the issues previously mentioned need to be fixed, “these issues are now defined in the public arena by partisanship and ideology rather than by rigorous empirical thought and forthright analysis and discussion.

So what is he going to do next? Dobbs told the audience, “I'll be working diligently… the important work of restoring inspiration to our great free society and our market economy, I will strive as well to be a leader in that national conversation.”

Of course we are not making any ground breaking statements by saying that Dobbs could be a presidential contender. There are two websites “loudobbs4president.com” and “loudobbsforpresident.org” that have been encouraging a Dobbs run for President.

With the political landscape skewed to the Democrats and Republicans it might take three years to get ballot access in a number of states to make a Third Party presidential run truly viable. This ballot access issues has been mentioned a number of time by possible Third Party candidates such as Jesse Ventura. Dobbs can also start his run for President with a solid base from the websites asking him to run, plus many Tea Party members would support a fiscally conservative third party option.

Would Dobbs be interested to run on the Constitution Party or Libertarian Party party-line to get a jump start on ballot access or would he look to be more independent than that? We’ll have to wait and see.

Now to de-bunk the theory completely there has been some talk that Dobbs could bolt to Fox Business Channel. But, a spokesman for Fox Business says there has been no talks between Dobbs and Fox Business.

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Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Vermont Progressive Party Chair is safe…

Vermont Progressive Party Chair is safe for another term.

That is the word from Daniel Barlow writing on TimesArgus.com. Barlow writes, “Vermont Progressive Party Chairwoman Martha Abbott is not expected to face any opposition for another term.

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Workers World Party to hold annual party conference…

Workers World Party to hold annual party conference in New York City on Saturday, Nov. 14 and Sunday, Nov. 15.

A post on workers.org says this years theme is “Preparing and Organizing for the Future.”

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Libertarian Executive Director asking for “Friends of Liberty” to run for office…

Libertarian National Committee Executive Director Wes Benedict wrote and open letter address to “Dear Friend of Liberty.” The letter started with Benedict asking for people to, “run for office”.

Benedict said he is getting many e-mails asking how to run for office. So, he’s sending an open letter explaining how to run. Simply Benedict is asking people to head to this website, http://www.lp.org/run-for-office , contact the state party, and then file with the state.
Benedict say in the letter, “If there's a race you can win, run for that office.”

Here is Benedict’s general plan. He is asking for people to run for office in small jurisdictions, “where it takes less than 1,000 votes to win”. He continues to say if people live in major cities where there are not very many small vote races he is encouraging people to run for Congress.

The Congressional races can generate publicity for the Libertarian Party. He also ads, “(a Congressional run puts candidates) in place in case a major backlash erupts against the Republicans and Democrats.”

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Former mayor to run for Congress…

A former mayor is running for Congress in Wisconsin. Hank Murphy writes on FlorenceMiningNews.com that the former Mayor of Niagara, Wisconsin Joe Stern is running for the U.S. House of Representatives as an Independent.

Murphy writes Stern will run for the Eighth Congressional District’s seat. Democrat Steve Kagen holds the seat and was first elected in 2006.

Stern was quoted saying, “my success is going to be dependent on a grass roots effort… I can make a run at it, and I don’t think next year’s will be a typical election. I think there is going to be a tremendous backlash and I think it’s going to be a backlash against the established parties.”

Stern called the Obama administration’s claims of jobs created and saved as “laughable.”

The story wraps-up quoting Stern saying, “Neither party is truly serving my interests at this point… I’m not going to run as a Republican, but I’ll be happy to take their money.”

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Independent leading in race for Governor…

Independent leading in race for Governor in Rhode Island according to a new Alpha Research Assoc. poll.

The poll had independent former Senator Lincoln Chafee leading in races versus Republican Rory Smith, and Democrats General Treasurer Frank Caprio and Attorney General Patrick Lynch.

The poll shows the former Republican Chafee getting 36 or 37 percent of the vote depending up on the match-up. In a race versus and Attorney General Lynch and Smith Chafee leads 37-24-15. The match-up is much closer with the Democrat being General Treasurer Caprio, but Chafee is still in the lead 36-34-8.

In the polls undecideds are still in the 20’s.

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Sunday, November 8, 2009

Libertarian to make official announcement for Iowa Governor…

Libertarian to make official announcement for Iowa Governor on Wednesday, November 11. A news release from the Eric Cooper for Governor campaign says Eric Cooper of Ames and Nick Weltha of Des Moines have filed papers to form an exploratory committee for Governor and Lt. Governor of Iowa.

Cooper, an Associate Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience at Iowa State University, said in the release, “We think that our candidacy will provide an alternative to the major parties for Iowa citizens who want a smaller government.”

But a win is not their real goal. Cooper said, “Our goal in this election is to get at least 2% of the vote which would give the Libertarian Party major party status under Iowa law. We also hope to draw enough support away from the major parties to encourage them to poach our issues in order to steal our voters.”

The issues are: the legalization of marijuana in Iowa, greater school choice, and repealing the Iowa fireworks ban.
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Pollina inching closer to Gubernatorial run…

Anthony Pollina is apparently inching closer to running for Governor of Vermont. Kristin Carlson writes on WCAX.com, “Pollina says he's considering several options including running for governor in the Democratic primary. It would avoid a split of the liberal vote and he says he's in a good position coming off the last election.”

In the last election Pollina came in second place in the race for Governor besting the Democratic candidate.

Pollina was quoted saying, “Without a doubt it would be difficult to run in the Democratic primary, but as you know over the years one of the things I've tried to do more than anything else is find ways to bring Democrats and Progressives and independents together.”

Carlson ender her story writing, “…officials at the Vermont Democratic party say… if (Pollina) wants to run in their primary it will be up to Democratic voters to decide if they can support someone who has been critical of the Democratic Party.”

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Lieberman says Fort Hood shootings needs investigation – could be considered terrorism

Independent Connecticut Senator Joe Lieberman says the Fort Hood shootings needs investigation and could be considered terrorism. CNN.com reports, “Sen. Joseph Lieberman… intends to launch a Senate committee hearing on whether the Fort Hood shootings were a terrorist act and if the Army should have taken pre-emptive steps due to reported signs of Islamic extremism by the suspected gunman.”

TheHill.com’s Bridget Johnson quotes Lieberman saying, “It's premature to reach conclusions about what motivated (Major Nidal Malik Hasan)… If (it’s true Hasan had turned to radical Islam) then this was a terrorist act.”

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Political Handicapper: NY23 still a toss-up…

Political Handicapper “The Rothenberg Political Report” shows the 2010 New York 23rd Congressional as a toss-up seat. They say, “…(the victory was) good news for Democrats… But the dynamic that helped Owens win- including a divided Republican Party- can't be ignored and aren't likely to be replicated again.”

We find the race to become even more of a toss-up when a major newspaper in the District takes a swipe at Owens for “(Breaking) 4 Campaign Promsises in first hours in Congress”.

Also Doug Hoffman appeared to be a lock to win the election with this Third Party run and grassroots support. Then the Republican establishment got involved, took out ads, and unintentional submarined Hoffman’s campaign.

The Thirds calls this race a “head-scratcher” too.

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Newspaper focuses on candidate's Town Hall pledge…

Newspaper focuses on Florida Whig candidate’s pledge to hold town hall meetings every month. Town Hall Meeting should not seem like a shocking campaign point for congress, but Matt Dixon on NewsHerald.com writes about Paul McKain’s campaign for Congress.

He quote McKain, ““I have broken the district into four sections… I will hold a town hall in each section each month or in Washington if I am there, and broadcast it district-wide.”

McKain is running for Florida’s 2nd Congressional District. Representative Allen Boyd current holds the seat, but faces a primary challenge from Al Lawson. There are also three Republicans running for the seat.

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The Tea Party is now a party in…

The Tea Party is now a party in Florida. David Donald writes on DailyCommercial.com, “Florida Secretary of State Kurt Browning certified the Tea Party as an official minor political party.”

The Tea Party joins 31 other minor political parties certified by the state.

There had formerly been a “Boston Tea Party” recognized by the State of Florida but that party is no longer listed by the Florida Secretary of States office.

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Friday, November 6, 2009

The attack on cigarettes begins…

The attack on cigarettes begins according to 2008 Libertarian Presidential candidate Bob Barr. Barr writes on his blog for the Atlanta Journal Constitution that the The Food and Drug Administration is trying to ban clove cigarettes.

Barr writes, “…if someone enjoys the taste of burning cloves and wants to smoke a cigarette containing the substance, what the heck — it’s fine with me. Well, it’s apparently not fine with the freedom-loving folks at the FDA, and they recently banned clove cigarettes.

Barr wraps-up saying other tobacco better watch out their favorite product may be gone, “This clearly is an agency flexing its regulatory muscles, and is on the prowl for new and bigger game to bag.”

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Thursday, November 5, 2009

Senate candidate to produce monthly TV show…

Independent/Third Party candidate for Senate from Connecticut Dr. John Mertens will produce monthly television shows to be, “shown on public access television stations around the state”.

The Mertens campaign website describes the shows as, “30 minutes of in-depth discussion of a different issue each month between the candidate and guests.”

The first show which will be first telecast on November 6th will focus on U.S. Drug Policy. The guess reportedly include, “Cliff Thornton, Green Party Candidate for Governor in 2006… Joseph Brooks, retired Connecticut police captain…”

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Scozzafava feelings hurt, offered to join Third Party…

Republican Assemblywoman Dede Scozzafava who dropped put of the New York 23rd Congressional District and then endorsed the Democrat apparently has had her feelings hurt and has been offered a spot in a Third Party.

Jude Seymour writes on WatertownDailyTimes.com that Assemblywoman Scozzafava’s feelings were hurt by Conservative Party candidate Doug Hoffman. Seymour quotes Assemblywoman Scozzafava saying, “There was no sense of compassion in this man at all… I know a lot of people that were hurt by the tone of the campaign that Mr. Hoffman ran.” Assemblywoamn Scozzafava said Hoffman never asked for he endorsement after she quit the race.

Seymour also writes that New York Independence Party Chairman Frank MacKay will invite Assemblywoman Scozzafava to, “carry his party as her main affiliation”. The Assemblywoman said she has no plans to change parties – but we have also seen her change her mind pretty quickly in the past.

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Tuesday, November 3, 2009

Is GOP brand so damaged it cost a conservative seat in Congress?

Is the Republican brand so damaged it cost a conservative seat in Congress? If appears the New York 23rd Congressional District special election will go to Democrat Bill Owens. This was after some polls put Conservative Party candidate Doug Hoffman leading the race with 51% of the vote less than one week prior to election day.

It seems that Hoffman dropped about five percent in the very last days of the race. Was it because of something Hoffman did, was it Assemblywoman Dede Scozzafava backing the Democrat after she pulled out of the race, was it the performance of Democrat Bill Owens, was it the visits from high-profile Democrats, or was that because the Republican Party started backing Hoffman?

Hoffman seems to have had much more momentum and better polling results as the Third Party option with some Republicans supporting him versus the Republican establishment publicly backing Hoffman.

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Daggett falls victim to Corzine fear…

Independent New Jersey Gubernatorial candidate Chris Daggett may have fallen victim to Corzine fear. With 99% of the votes counted Chris Daggett came in third place with 5.7% of the vote.

That 5.7% of the vote was about five to ten percent lower than recent polls showed. The Thirds has to believe most of those five to ten percent of people that left the Daggett went to Republican challenger, and now Governor-elect Chris Christie.

We believe this shift had to do that people wanted Governor Jon Corzine out of office even more than seeing their man in the office. Governor Corzine’s final election numbers were about two-percent higher than poll averages, but Governor-elect Christie’s final tally was about seven-percent higher than poll averages. That was the number of people that bolted from Daggett.

If Governor-elect Chris Christie wanted to make a real splash in New Jersey politics he should offer Chris Daggett a spot in his cabinet. Daggett could head-up Department of Environmental Protection again. You could also make arguments for Daggett to lead the Civil Service Commission, Department of Treasury, Department of the Treasury, New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission, Office of Economic Growth, Department of State, and Department of the Public Advocate. With his Governmental management background you could even argue Daggett could run the Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness.

Results with 99% reporting:
Chris Christie (Republican) 49.0%
Jon Corzine (Democrat) 44.4%
Chris Daggett (Independent for NJ) 5.7%
Kenneth R. Kaplan (Libertarian Party) 0.2%
Gary T. Steele (Leadership, Independence, Vision) 0.1%
Jason Cullen (People Not Politics) 0.1%
David R. Meiswinkle (Middle Class Empowerment) 0.1%
Kostas Petris (For The People) 0.1%
Gregory Pason (Socialist Party USA) 0.1%
Gary Stein (Various titles) 0.1%
Joshua Leinsdorf (Fair Election Party) 0.0%
Alvin Lindsay, Jr. (Lindsay for Governor) 0.0%

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Independent Mike Bloomberg wins NYC Mayor re-election…

Independent Mayor Mike Bloomberg wins New York City Mayoral re-election. In a vote that was a lot closer than most polls projected, Mike Bloomberg won a third term in office. He tweeted out to his supporters, “Thank you #NYC Humbled, proud, & excited to have the opportunity to serve you for another 4 yrs!”

With 99% of the vote in the tally stood at:
Michael Bloomberg (Independent & Republican) 50.6%
William C. Thompson Jr. (Democrat) 46.0%
Stephen Christopher (Constitution) 1.7%
Rev. Billy Talen (Green) 0.8%
Francisca Villar (Party for Socialism and Liberation) 0.3%
Jimmy McMillian (Rent Is Too Damn High) 0.2%
Joseph Dobrian (Libertarian) 0.2%
Daniel Fien (Socialist Workers) 0.1%

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Two independents stay in office in Virginia…

Two independents running for Virginia House of Delegates win re-election.

Independent Lacey E. Putney continued his reign in office. Winning 64-20-15-0.1% in a race against Democrat Lewis B. Medlin Junior, Constitution Party candidate Will Smith II, and other write-in candidates. Putney has been in office since 1962.

Also, Independent Watkins M. Abbitt Junior won his re-election 99-1% in his race only against write-in candidates. Abbitt has been in office since 1986.

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Good luck to all independent and Third Party candidates on the ballot today...

New York 23rd Congressional District special election:
Doug Hoffman - Conservative Party

New Jersey Governor:
Chris Daggett - Independent for NJ
Jason Cullen - People Not Politics
Kenneth R. Kaplan - Libertarian Party
Joshua Leinsdorf - Fair Election Party
Alvin Lindsay, Jr. - Lindsay for Governor
David R. Meiswinkle - Middle Class Empowerment
Gregory Pason - Socialist Party USA
Kostas Petris - For The People
Gary T. Steele - Leadership, Independence, Vision
Gary Stein – Various titles (Rock The Boat, Giv'm Heck Gary, Nice N Easy, Rush In, Stormy Weather, Just In Time, All The Way, Where Are You, I Have Dreamed, They All Laughed, These Foolish Things, A Fine Romance, Lear'n The Blues, Without A Song, Something Stupid, Street Of Dreams, All Alone, How About You, Pennies From Heaven & My Shining Hour Love And Marriage)

California 10th Congressional District special election:
Jerry Denham - American Independent
Jeremy Cloward - Green Party
Peace and Freedom Party - Mary C. McIlroy

Virginia statewide race:
None

Chuck Todd: Being independent is a positive for “many voters”

Today NBC’s Chuck Todd wrote a “briefing-column” on the major elections today. A key point in his column is that being an independent or Third Party candidate is a major plus to many voters.

He wrote, “We know that not being associated with either political party is a net plus with many voters — from New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg's expected victory, to Chris Daggett's influence in New Jersey, to Doug Hoffman's rise in New York's 23rd Congressional District.”

In a section titled “The angry independent” Todd wrote, “Candidates who stand up to the establishment and find a reform message will benefit, no matter their party label.

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Monday, November 2, 2009

After saying no, New Jersey Democrats fess-up to robo-call…

After saying no, New Jersey Democrats fess-up to robo-call. Matt Friedman writes on PolitickerNJ.com, “The Democratic State Committee now admits paying for a robocall to Somerset County voters that slams Republican Chris Christie and promotes independent gubernatorial candidate Christopher Daggett. A Democratic spokeswoman says the party’s chairman, Joe Cryan, was not aware of the robocalls when he denied that the state committee had anything to do with them yesterday afternoon.”

There has been some accusations over the campaign that Chris Daggett is some kind of Manchurian-Independent to suck votes away from Republican challenger Chris Christie planned by incumbent Democratic Governor Jon Corzine.

Daggett has continually denied the claims and in fact polls show Daggett is sucking away more support from Governor Corzine than the Republican challenger Christie. Daggett was quoted saying he had no part in the robo-calls, “Voters hate robocalls. This is just another instance of the dishonest ways Democrats and Republicans use to win campaigns and to fool voters.”

There is also a pro-Governor Corzie robocall from President Obama that may ring some phones in New Jersey.

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Reading Polls: Daggett will finish in double digits…

Independent New Jersey Gubernatorial candidate Chris Daggett will finish in double digits on election night after looking at key polls on Pollster.com. Looking at the polls that ended on November 1st we see a few trends.

In all polls, except for one, Chris Daggett was getting double-digit support. The poll that shows Daggett only in single digits had two percent of people voting for a Third Party candidate and still seven percent of people undecided. We think some of that Third Party vote ay have been intended for Daggett and Daggett should likely pick-up some of that undecided vote.

So who will win the whole thing? The Pollster.com average puts the race at even. When looking at the most recent polls it seems polls with undecided numbers six percent or higher goes towards the Democratic incumbent Jon Corzine. The polls with lower numbers of undecideds lean towards Republican challenger Chris Christie. What does this mean? We’ll see soon.

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Club for Growth sends more than $1,000,000 to help Third Party candidate…

Club for Growth sends more than $1,000,000 to help Third Party candidate Doug Hoffman in the New York 23rd Congressional special election. Hoffman is running on the Conservative Party ticket. The Club for Growth and Club for Growth PAC spent more the $550,000 on television ads plus more than $80,000 on mail, phone, Other advertisements promotion Hoffman or questioning his opponents.

Their bundlers also got more the 2,400 donations to the Hoffman campaign for more than $350,000.

The Club for Growth says the grand total was $1,008,388.

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RNC running ads in race with no candidate…

The Republican National Committee is running radio ads in New York’s 23rd Congressional District special election. The radio ad a number of times encouraged people to “"vote conservative", did we mention there is still a Conservative Party candidate in the race?

The Republican quit the race and decided to back the Democrat in the race. So, the Republicans have decided to back Conservative Party candidate Doug Hoffman.

The Thirds wonders if this backing by the Republican National Committee could actually hurt candidate Hoffman. Hoffman backers across the nation decided to support him as a third party alternative.

Even in recent polling independents have bolted to the Democrats versus the Conservative Party candidate Doug Hoffman who previously was leading in independents. It is important to note there are a number of undecided independents, those independents could break for Hoffman.

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The story of election 2009 in one tweet…

The story of election 2009 could possibly be made clear in one tweet. Whoever is running AmhestGOP tweeted, “This is one Republican that isn't sending one more dime to the RNC, NRSC, or NRCC. I'll send it to Club for Growth instead.

That sentiment could be the largest effect of election-day 2009. The Republican hand-picked liberal-leaning candidate Assemblywoman Dede Scozzafava was damaged goods from the start and end-up quitting mid-race and supporting her former Democratic opponent.

The Republican and conservative establishment almost immediately revolted against Assemblywoman Scozzafava. She was a terrible pick their mind. Now the, “RNC, NRSC, or NRCC” cannot be trusted.

The Thirds believes the Club for Growth will see a huge increase in donations thanks to the Republicans botching New York’s 23rd Congressional District special election. We also expect to see other conservative groups see an increase in funds, but the Club for Growth established itself as a major game changer and king maker. That is at least until November 2010, politics can be fickle.


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Is Palin gearing-up for a Third Party?

Is former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin really gearing-up for a Third Party? CNN Political Producer Peter Hamby writes on CNN.com, Sarah Palin is making some robo-calls in Virginia right before Tuesday’s election. The funny thing is that Palin did not mention any candidate.

According to the CNN report the recording says, “Virginia, hello, this is Sarah Palin calling to urge you to go to the polls Tuesday and vote for Sarah’s principles. The eyes of America will be on Virginia and make no mistake about it, every vote counts. So don’t take anything for granted, vote your values on Tuesday, and urge your friends and family to vote, too.” The recording does not mention Bob McDonnell the Republican gubernatorial candidate.

The report says, “the phone blitz was paid for by the Virginia Faith and Freedom Coalition, the state branch of a national conservative group founded by former Christian Coalition director Ralph Reed.” In fact team-McDonnell said they did not know about the phone blitz before it took place.

Is former Governor Palin trying to help a conservative, or is she building a base for a possible third party libertarian-style Presidential run in 2012? Hmm… we only have about two more years to wait and find-out.


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Independents leaving Third Party candidate for Democrat?

Are Independents really leaving the Third Party candidate in New York’s 23rd Congressional District for the Democrat? A new Sienna College poll shows Conservative Party candidate Doug Hoffman leading Democrat Bill Owens 41-36%. The Republican who quit the race and endorsed the Democrat, Assemblywoman Dede Scozzafava, still picked-up 6%. That leaves 17% in the undecided column, before Assemblywoman Scozzafava dropped-out there was only 9% undecided.

The most interesting portion of this poll shows that Doug Hoffman who was winning with independents prior to the Scozzafava drop-out at 40-35-15, is now in second place among independents at 43-37-2.

Is it possible that independents are going to feel their independence Scozzafava-style and bolt for the current part in power?

But, in predicting the election-day winner perhaps the largest sign is the favorable/unfavorable ratings. Doug Hoffman’s favorable ratings continue their upward trend, he is at 47% favorable compared to 33% unfavorable. That’s higher in favorable and lower in unfavorable since the last poll. Bill Owens has gone in the opposite direction. His favorable slipped to 37% and unfavorable ticked-up to 38%.

No matter what happens, it has been an interesting month in the New York North Country.

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Sunday, November 1, 2009

Daggett in double digit polling, pull more votes from Corzine than Cristie...

Independent New Jersey Gubernatorial candidate Chirs Daggett is at 11% in the latest Public Policy Polling poll. Republican challenger Chris Christie leads Democratic Incumbent Jon Corzine 47-41. Christie has now stretched-out to a six point lead after a being with-in a point or even ahead in some polls.

So what effect is Chris Daggett having? The conventional wisdom is the he is hurting the Republican challenger, but the poll results show he’s conventional wisdom is wrong.

Tom Jensen writes on the Public Policy Polling’s blog, “…it seems like Daggett's presence in the race has actually ended up hurting Corzine more than Christie… 45% of Daggett voters say the incumbent is their second choice to 36% for the challenger. Daggett's backers report having voted for Barack Obama by a 67-23 margin last year.”

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Third Party candidate showing more than 50% in polling…

Third Party candidate Doug Hoffman is showing more than 50% in polling for New York's 23rd Congressional District special election.

Public Policy Polling shows Conservative Party candidate Doug Hoffman leading 51-34-13 in the race for the House of Representatives. This is the first time Hoffman any candidate has passed the 50% threshold.

Tom Jensen writes, “The bottom line though is that Hoffman led by double digits during every segment of the poll, an indication that he may have been headed for a definitive victory regardless of Scozzafava's actions over the course of the weekend.”

Hoffman has commanding lead among Republicans and a solid lead in independents. Hoffman is still picking-up 21% of Democrats.

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Spokesman for Republican backs Third Party candidate, says his old boss is wrong…

Spokesman for liberal-leaning Republican Assemblywoman Dede Scozzafava is backing Third Party candidate Doug Hoffman in the New York 23rd Congressional District special election. Matt Burns, Assemblywoman Scozzafava’s old spokesman, says his old boss is wrong to quit her campaign and back the Democrat in the race.

Burns said, “Dede is entitled to her own opinion, as is everyone, but I am disappointed by and disagree with her decision to support Bill Owens. I am supporting Doug Hoffman, because denying Nancy Pelosi another foot soldier is vital to restoring fiscal responsibility and common sense in Washington.”

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Scozzafava the turncoat, actions speak louder words…

Assemblywoman Dede Scozzafava the liberal-leaning Republican quit the New York 23rd Congressional special election as Republicans and Conservatives began to back the Third Party candidate Doug Hoffman of the Conservative Party. Assemblywoman Scozzafava kept arguing right up until she quit the race she was a Republican and would support the Republican Party.

She lied. Assemblywoman Scozzafava has now decided to support her former Democratic opponent Bill Owens.

WatertownDailyTimes.com is reporting Senator Chuck Schumer was one of many people that urged Assemblywoman Scozzafava to bolt and back the Democrat. She did. Bill Owens the Democratic candidate said he was “honored” by Scozzafava and in a statement the said, “Now more than ever we need bipartisan solutions to help bring jobs to Upstate New York to get our economy back on track and move our country forward.”

The Hoffman camp called Assemblywoman Scozzafava a turncoat. Hoffman’s Communications Advisor said, “This afternoon Dede Scozzafava betrayed the GOP.“

Scozzafava said on her campaign website, “…I have been always been an independent voice for the people I represent. I have stood for our honest principles, and a truthful discussion of the issues, even when it cost me personally and politically… It is in this spirit that I am writing to let you know I am supporting Bill Owens for Congress and urge you to do the same.”

We at The Thirds truly respect being independent and think that it took a lot of guts for Assemblywoman Scozzafava to break with the Republican Party and endorse the Democrat Bill Owens. Unfortunately we respect honesty even more. Just a few weeks ago Scozzafava, through her campaign, pledged to support the Republicans. Assemblywoman Scozzafava just proved that she was the damaged candidate that conservatives believed in the first place.

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Modern Whig’s tout wide spread growth…

Modern Whig’s tout wide spread growth in a blog post. They write, “The Modern Whig Party continues to experience another surge in membership. Initially revived by Iraq and Afghanistan veterans, this national grassroots movement is attracting mainstream Americans from all political stripes...

They also say they are under attack from people afraid of their movement, “…various people from both the entrenched partisan groups as well as the fringe groups have begun to lash out as they begin to view our development as a threat to their agendas.”

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Being a third party contender allowed Doug Hoffman to rise in special election…

Being a third party contender allowed Conservative Party candidate Doug Hoffman to rise in New York’s 23rd Congressional District special election. That is the take from MSNBC’s Chuck Todd.

Todd writes in the “First Read” column on msnbc.com, “Hoffman's rise has been thanks to a combination of conservatives and independents who apparently have been attracted by Hoffman's anti-Washington and anti-party establishment message. It's still an open question among some Republicans about whether Hoffman could have been as successful as the actual Republican nominee; running as an outsider has been a BIG benefit to his bid.

This argument shows that Third Party candidates can tap into some momentum from general Washington disgust. But they still need at least one “trump card” or a few “face cards” to become real threats.

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On his own website, congressman questions if two-party system can work…

On his own website, Congressman Dennis Kucinich questions if the two-party system can work. The Democrat from Ohio released a statement about the health care debate on his Congressional website.

He said, “If this is the best we can do, then it is time to ask ourselves whether the two-party system is truly capable of representing the American people or whether the system has been so compromised by special interests that we can’t even protect the health of our own people.”

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Independent Joe Lieberman making turn to the right…

Independent Senator Joe Lieberman of Connecticut is making a turn to the right. The independent Democrat to told ABC news he will be campaigning for some Republicans in the 2010 mid-term elections.

Jonathan Karl writes on ABCnews.go.com that Senator Lieberman may not seek the Democratic Senate nomination when he runs for re-election in 2012. In the past Lieberman supported Senator John McCain for President and other Republicans running for Congress. The senator told ABC news, “…in between (the hard right and hard left) is the larger group, which is people who really want to see the right thing done, or want something good done for this country and them -- and that means, sometimes, the better choice is somebody who's not a Democrat."

Lieberman has vowed to support his fellow Connecticut senator for re-election in 2010, that Senator is Democrat Chris Dodd.

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What does it take to get your point across? About half a million dollars!

What does it take to get your point across? About half a million dollars! Rebecca Sinderbrand breaksdown on CNN.com the amount of money spend in the New York 23rd Congressional District special election.

She writes nearly $1.8 million worth of ads have been spent in the special election, “…roughly $429,000 worth of ads have aired on Conservative Party candidate Doug Hoffman's behalf.

So we now understand that you need to have a huge ground swell against a weak candidate plus about half a million dollars. This can be the formula for Third Party candidates, while it may not be attractive, but this is the formula. Another key part of the formula is special interests, Non-candidates have spent more in New York’s 23rd Congressional District than the candidates themselves.

Now with the Republican dropping-out of the race it appears Doug Hoffman is cruising, but it is an election and 20% of the electorate still needs to make-up their mind.

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Independent Senator: Doing 'nothing' is better option than the public option

Mike Soraghan writes on TheHill.com that independent Senator Joe Lieberman from Connecticut said "'Nothing' is better than getting (a public option).. we ought to follow the doctors' oath and say, 'First, let's do no harm.'"

There had been some question on which direction Senator Lieberman would vote on a health care bill. The Thirds thinks this is clear now.

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Major NJ newspaper re-ups its endorsement of independent candidate…

Major New Jersey newspaper re-ups its endorsement of independent candidate for governor Chirs Daggett. The Star-Ledger newspapers editorial board on November 1st wrote, “Several weeks ago, we endorsed independent candidate Chris Daggett for governor… we renew that endorsement today with even greater conviction.”

The board says only Daggett is treating, “taxpayers, including public employees, as rational adults able to handle the harsh truth about the state’s dire financial condition and the need for belt-tightening by all… Unfortunately, only Daggett has treated voters and taxpayers to this truth.”

The newspaper criticizes incumbent Democratic Governor Jon Corzine and Republican challenger Chris Christie, “(the two candidates) makes no pretense of continuing the infamous homeowner rebates — a shameless scam in which the state takes taxpayer money with one hand and, good Samaritan that it is, gives some of it back with the other. It’s the kind of deal you might expect from any three-card monte dealer in Manhattan.”

They even argue that if voters think Daggett will lose the race, they still should still cast a ballot for Daggett. The editorial board writes, “...the value of a vote is not limited to picking a winner… it’s more critical function is to send those who govern in Trenton a clear signal that they’ve gone badly wrong, that radical reform is needed.”

The wrap-up by writing, “Only by sending Chris Daggett to Trenton will voters make it clear that the era of wretched excess and irresponsible spending in Trenton must end — now.”

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