The Independent View: Unite America Advocates 2020 Bipartisan Presidential Ticket

Thanks to Richard Winger of Ballot Access news for this post. Once again he details why this won't work.

Charles Wheelan and Nick Troiano, Activists in Unite America, which Sponsored some Independent Candidates for Federal and State Office in 2018.

They expresses the desire for a Ticket in 2020 for President and Vice President that contains one Democrat and one Republican.

The suggestion is John Kasich should run for President in Republican Primaries, and that John Hickenlooper should run for President in Democratic Primaries, and that each should Pledge to Name the Other as his Vice-Presidential running Mate.

Then if they aren’t Nominated, they should Reserve the right to Form a Third Ticket in the General Election.

That would have been possible before 2012. Before 2012, virtually every State permitted Presidential “Sore Losers” to get on the November Ballot.

But in 2012, the Michigan Secretary of State kept Gary Johnson off the November Ballot as the Libertarian Presidential Nominee because he had Run in that year’s Republican Presidential Primary. She did this even though Michigan had Permitted John Anderson to be on the General Election Ballot in 1980 even though he also had Run in the Republican Presidential Primary.

The federal Courts Upheld the Secretary of State’s Action, in Opinions that were Error-Filled and Rushed, and seemed more Motivated at Anger that Johnson’s Attorney had been Late to File his Brief, than at Attention on the Issue.

Then, in 2016, Alabama, Arkansas, and Pennsylvania all kept Rocky De La Fuente off the November Ballot on the Grounds that he had Run in Democratic Presidential Primaries that year.

This was true, even though Alabama and Arkansas both had Precedents that “Sore Loser” Presidential Candidates were Permitted in November, there was No Prior Precedent in Pennsylvania.

De La Fuente Sued Alabama and Pennsylvania and Lost both Cases.

So now the U.S. has Lost the Ability to Vote for Presidential Candidates in November who Run outside the Two Major Parties, after Running in Major Party Presidential Primaries.