Donald Trump has filed to run in the Ohio's Republican Primary. Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted's office says that is enough to disqualify Trump from running as a third-party candidate.
Trump has threatened the Republican Party countless times that if they don't treat him fairly, he is going to launch an independent campaign. Now, a spokesman for the Secretary of State says that it won't be an option for Trump in Ohio.
According to Husted's spokesman, a candidate can only run as a third-party candidate in Ohio if they "disaffiliate" from another party in "good faith." The spokesman says that Trump is too far entangled in the GOP Primary to back out as a Republican now.
"Since Donald Trump has filed a declaration of candidacy with our office as a Republican, has filed with Federal Election Commission as a Republican candidate, and voluntarily took part in the Republican presidential debates, the first of which was held in Ohio, there is no way for Mr. Trump to disaffiliate from the Republican Party 'in good faith' during this election cycle," Husted spokesman Joshua Eck said.
If Trump really were ineligible to run as a third-party candidate in the key swing state of Ohio, it would undercut his leverage with the GOP at large and seriously undermine his ability to launch a credible third-party campaign.
NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote! Michael H. Drucker
1 comment:
That Ohio law has been in place since 1981. Yet in 1984, 1988, and 1992, Ohio let Lyndon LaRouche be an independent presidential candidate in Ohio, even though he had run in the Ohio Democratic presidential primary all three years. Also LaRouche since 1979 has consistently held himself out as a Democrat. Secretary of State Jon Husted also did not say Trump can't be a minor party candidate; Husted only said he can't be an independent candidate.
Ohio let Gary Johnson on the November 2012 ballot as the Libertarian nominee, even though Johnson had run in 8 Republican presidential primaries earlier that year and had been a registered Republican until December 2011.
Husted also didn't quote the independent candidate restriction. The Ohio law says, "Independent Candidate means any candidate who claims not to be affiliated with a political party." It doesn't say anything about whether the candidate was a party member in the past. The indp pres deadline in Ohio is in August 2016. Trump could leave the Republican Party before then.
Also the Secretary of State doesn't acknowledge that the true candidates in November are the presidential elector candidates, and Trump could choose presidential elector candidates who have been independent for some time.
And the Secretary of State doesn't acknowledge the US Supreme Court opinion US Term Limits v Thornton, which said in 1995 that states can't add to the qualifications to run for federal office. Finally, Trump is always free to submit an independent petition for Donald Trump, Jr. (his son), and then tell the world that if the son's presidential electors are elected, they will actually vote for Donald Trump, Sr.
Post a Comment