| Here's some interesting news. The Constitution Party of Montana, which disaffiliated from the U.S. Constitution Party, has submitted Ron Paul as their nominee, which means that Ron Paul's name will be on the Montana ballot as an option for voters.
The names that will be on the ballot as far as I can tell: | Party | Presidential Candidate | VP Candidate |
| Constitution | Ron Paul | Michael Peroutka |
| Democratic | Barack Obama | Joe Biden |
| Independent | Ralph Nader | Matt Gonzalez |
| Libertarian | Bob Barr | Wayne Allyn Root |
| Republican | John McCain | Sarah Palin |
Ron Paul is a big enough name in enough of Montana that this could cause some trouble for John McCain.
In the GOP primary, Paul drew over 20,000 votes. Consider the closely fought 2006 Senate race, ultimately decided by 3,500 votes and 20,000 votes could be a big deal, especially if Bob Barr (a more credible nominee than the Libertarians have had in some time) pulls the same 1,700 votes the Libertarians drew in '04.
By means of comparison, Nader and the Green nominee combined in '04 received about 7,000 votes total in Montana.
All told -- this could be about a 14,000 net vote advantage for the Ds, just based on the other names on the ballot.
Also -- this is a canny move for the Constitution Party. They'll actually have a statewide candidate with some name recognition. The way election law works in Montana, I think this almost guarantees ongoing ballot access for them.
Note: so far the only source for Paul's name being filed appears as a news item from Ballot Access News, which has always had good info in the past. But there's nothing in the local papers or on the SOS website to verify this information.
Count me as very curious to hear others' takes on this news. |
