Libertarian Bill Gelineau, 2018 candidate for governor of Michigan
Michigan Libertarian Bill Gelineau has become the first candidate for governor from a non-establishment party to qualify under “major party” status to appear on a primary ballot there in nearly a half-century, and only the second since 1932.
On Thursday, March 8, Gelineau submitted 21,187 signatures to get on the ballot. To qualify, a statewide candidate from a major party needs to submit between 15,000 and 30,000 signatures by April 24.* The other parties nominate their candidates by convention.
The last time that a non-establishment Michigan party who was recognized as a major party placed a gubernatorial candidate on the ballot was in 1970, when James McCormick ran for the American Independent Party.
“This effort is historic in nature,” Gelineau acknowledged, “but what I want to state is how proud I am to be in a position to offer these ideas of liberty and practical solutions that the voters of Michigan will be able to hear.”
For a Michigan political party to retain major-party status through 2020, one of its statewide candidates must get at least five percent of the number of votes cast for the winning 2018 Secretary of State candidate.
Click here to read the March 9 press release issued by the LP of Michigan.
Click here to view Mr. Gelineau’s campaign website: Liberty4Gov.org
* Candidates have until May 1 to file any official challenges to their opponents’ petitions.
