Not even officially running, independent tied for lead in Nevada Gubernatorial election…

Not even officially running, an independent is tied for lead in Nevada Gubernatorial election. According to an article written by Ed Vogel on LVRJ.com, “Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman and former U.S. District Judge Brian Sandoval would be in a dead heat if the 2010 race for governor were held today…”. In a recent poll, both men got 33% of the vote.

Goodman is a registered Democrat, but he has talked openly about running for Nevada Governor as an independent candidate. Sandoval is a Republican. The likely Democrat party backed candidate will be Clark County Commissioner Rory Reid. Reid, the son of United States Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, would draw about 25 percent of the votes.

The article quotes the managing partner of Mason-Dixon Polling & Research Inc. Brad Coker saying the timing may be right for Goodman’s independent run. He said, “Goodman is the wild card in this thing… The Republicans were out of favor at this time last year, and the Democrats are falling out of favor now. People want an independent. Goodman, with his street cred and popularity across party lines, fits right into this race."

The poll also shows if unpopular Governor Jim Gibbons would get the Republican nomination, Mayor Goodman would win the vote by nearly 10%.

SOURCE:

http://www.lvrj.com/news/goodman-has-good-numbers-in-poll-63955342.html

Work-out gadget founder running for Governor…

Work-out gadget founder is running for Governor in Oregon. Jerry Wilson, the founder of Soloflex, is running for governor in Oregon. He made this third-party candidacy announcement on his blog “viva-la-revolucion.org”.

Wilson served on the National Democratic Party Platform Drafting Committee in 2004, but is going the independent rout for Governor. He is running as a third-party candidate because of “the failure of both ruling parties to properly manage the public’s business”.

His website says as governor he would, “Establish an Oregon Infrastructure Bank… Pardon all persons convicted in Oregon of victimless crimes his first day in office… Issue an Executive Order to re-empower juries in criminal trials to judge both the LAW and the FACTS of the case…” He will also, “…institute publicly financed elections for all elected offices in the state”.

But possibly the most noteworthy is that Wilson will not accept any contributions for his campaign. Wilson argues, “share (my) website with friends and family. It could virus. If it doesn’t, the ideas expressed here do not merit it.”

SOURCE:

http://www.viva-la-revolucion.org/?p=1

http://portland.bizjournals.com/portland/stories/2009/10/05/daily50.html

http://www.soloflex.com/

Top selling business writer calls independent run for governor “Jersey’s Cinderella story”

Top selling business writer Jeff Jarvis calls independent run for Governor “Jersey’s Cinderella story”.

That comment is from Jeff Jarvis, the writer of the book “What Would Good Do?”. On his blog, Jarvis declared the Chirs Daggett for Governor Campaign is a Cinderella story.

Jarvis writes, “(Daggett is) on the way up and now they think they do have a shot.” A lot of the excitement is because of poll numbers tracking-up and the endorsment from New Jersey’s largest newspaper, the Star-Ledger.

He ends the post with “Full disclosure” writing, “I worked with the Ledger for many years and lent the Daggett’s my Flip camera for (some videos placed on YouTube).”

SOURCE:

http://www.buzzmachine.com/2009/10/10/jerseys-cinderella-story/

Endorsement of independent candidate could have violated state rules…

Endorsement of independent Gubernatorial candidate Chris Daggett could have violated state rules according to an article by Wally Edge on PolitickerNJ.com.

At question is the endorsement by the Star-Ledger newspaper. Edge writes, “…state regulations… prohibit debate sponsors from endorsing candidates before the completion of the debate.” The problem arise because the Star-Ledger is one of many sponsors of the up-coming Gubernatorial debate on October 16 at William Paterson University.

So what happens if this is a violation? We’re not sure.

SOURCE:

http://www.politickernj.com/wallye/33960/star-ledger-agreed-not-endorse-1016-gubernatorial-debate

Green’s call for war protest when President Obama accepts Nobel Peace Prize….

Green’s call for war protest when President Obama accepts Nobel Peace Prize. It’s the call for in a Green Party news release. The news release said Green Party leaders were “puzzled and outraged” over the Nobel Peace Prize award.

The news release, “urged widespread demonstrations against the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan to take place in Oslo, Washington, and other cities on the day Mr. Obama picks up his prize…”

Greens argued President Obama's willingness to talk with other leaders was not enough to merit the Peace Prize. The National co-chair of the Green Party Craig Thorsen said, "Created a 'new climate in international politics'? This means that the Nobel Prize committee is giving President Obama an award for not being George W. Bush."

SOURCE:

http://www.gp.org/press/pr-national.php?ID=254

Major Newspaper sees Major Problems with Major Party candidates – Endorses Independent.

The News Jersey Star-Ledger endorsed independent candidate Chris Daggett for New Jersey’s next governor. The newspaper said they did not think Incumbent Governor Jon Corzine or Republican challenger Chris Christie are that bad, the newspaper editorial said their parties have, “forfeited any claim to the trust and confidence of the people of New Jersey.”

The newspaper believed, “Only by breaking the hold of the Democratic and Republican mandarins on the governor’s office and putting a rein on their power will the state have any hope for the kind of change needed to halt its downward economic, political and ethical spiral.”

The newspaper continued to pile on the major parties describing themselves as, “little more than narrow special interests” having a “competition for short-term political and/or monetary gain.. jeopardiz(ing) the state’s long-term economic health and left it with a tarnished national reputation.”

The newspaper says the only way to tell the major parties to stop their activities is by electing Chris Daggett.

The newspaper did critize the Republican challenger Chris Christie by describing his campaign as similar to sitting in a “rocking-chair”, making “only safe commitments”, and having no real plan to fix the state’s budget woes.

As for the Incumbent Democrat Jon Corzine, the Star-Ledger calls describes him as having serious “shortcomings as a leader”. The newspaper even went deeper describing Corzine as a chaplin on an “ethically compromised ship” called the Democratic Party.

The newspaper then praised Daggett saying he is the only candidate that has, “produced anything close to a coherent plan to cut property taxes.” The newspaper also called Daggett’s mastery of detail “impressive”.

The newspaper then encouraged Democrats and Republicans to leave their party, for just one vote. Writing it’s not an “easy thing”, the newspaper said they are suggesting, “a temporary suspension of that loyalty… (could) begin changing the corrosive culture of Trenton.”

The newspaper even said if they believe Daggett cannot win this race, New Jersey voters should still vote for Daggett. The Star-Ledger said, “…the value of a vote is not limited to picking a winner. The real value lies in the signal it sends about what the voter believes is best for the city, county or state — not merely at the moment, but long-term. We believe Daggett is best.”

SOURCE:

http://blog.nj.com/njv_editorial_page/2009/10/star-ledger_endorses_independe.html

NY Conservative Party Chairman: GOP’s special election candidate is, “another Arlen Specter-style liberal Republican”

The Chairman of the New York Conservative Party Michael Long is, “reluctantly call(ing) for a moratorium on any financial contributions to the NRCC until that organization ceases support for Assemblywoman Scozzafava and clarifies its plans for candidate recruitment and support going forward.”

He makes his argument in a memo to “Conservative leaders”. His concern is the National Republican Congressional Committee selection of Assemblywoman Dede Scozzafava to run for the 23rd Congressional District special election, and how the selection was made.

He writes, “Assemblywoman Scozzafava wasn’t picked by the voters. Party bosses selected her, reportedly with the guidance and direction of the NRCC… (Scozzafava is) another Arlen Specter-style liberal Republican… Some think the way to win elections is to mimic the Democrats, to offer the voters “liberal-lite” in hopes of finding accommodation with the Democrats and success at the polls… the NRCC is test marketing a campaign message blurring the differences between the parties in instead principled opposition.”

He ends the memo saying, “There are great opportunities ahead for the Republicans in Congress. Those opportunites cannot be squandered by political miscalculations and a lack of faith in the central values of the Republican Party.”

The Conservative Party is backing their candidate Doug Hoffman in the special election. Hoffman was a candidate for the Republican nod in the race, but was not selected.

SOURCE:

http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2009/10/09/ny-house-race-touches-off-gop-funding-fight/