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?

SOURCE:

http://www.progressiveparty.org/blog/?p=1038

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.

SOURCE:

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jvGky28IfeN9Eygc6iwhqYjriJMAD9C85A3G2

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.

SOURCE:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704782304574541903184382532.html

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.

SOURCE:

http://www.courant.com/news/local/statewire/hc-ap-ct-connecticutsenatenov26,0,7968327.story

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.

SOURCE:

http://www.lp.org/blogs/staff/maryland-libertarians-nominate-governor-and-lt-governor-candidates

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.

SOURCE:

http://www.minnpost.com/ericblack/2009/11/24/13752/ip_bans_cross-endorsement_with_implications_for_bachmann_race

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.”

SOURCE:

http://www.projo.com/news/politics/content/MODERATE_DONATION_FIGHT_11-24-09_I5GHJBP_v18.3a643ac.html