Minnesota Legal Marijuana Now Party
Minnesota Legal Marijuana Now Party | |
---|---|
File:Minnesota Legal Marijuana Now Party logo.jpg | |
Abbreviation | LMN |
Chairperson | Tim Davis |
Founded | 1998 |
Preceded by | Independent Grassroots Party |
Headquarters | Minneapolis |
Newspaper | Freedom Gazette |
Ideology | Marijuana legalization |
Colors | Green, Gold, Red |
Seats in the Senate | 0 / 100
|
Seats in the House | 0 / 435
|
Governorships | 0 / 50
|
State Upper House Seats | 0 / 1,972
|
State Lower House Seats | 0 / 5,411
|
Website | |
www | |
Minnesota Legal Marijuana Now is a political third party in the U.S. state of Minnesota established in 1998 to oppose drug prohibition.[1][2]
In 1996, the Grassroots Party of Minnesota split, with some former members forming the Independent Grassroots Party. By 1998, members of the Independent Grassroots Party formed the Minnesota Legal Marijuana Now Party. In the 2010s the party began expansion attempts to other states as the Legal Marijuana Now Party.
Minnesota Legal Marijuana Now became a major party in Minnesota in 2018 when their candidate for State Auditor, Michael Ford, received 5.3 percent of the vote.[3]
In 2020, the Minnesota Legal Marijuana Now nominee for United States Senator received 190,154 votes in the November 3 election, the largest number of votes received in 2020, in the U.S., by any such third-party candidate.[4] An analysis of votes cast in the 2020 Minnesota elections found that Legal Marijuana Now candidates might have helped Democratic candidates in swing districts, by pulling a greater number of votes from Republican candidates.[5] Other analysts state that Legal Marijuana Now candidates are detrimental to the Democratic Party.[6]
History
Background before 1998
The Minnesota Grassroots Party was formed in 1986 as a response to Ronald Reagan's War on Drugs.[7][1] In 1996 the party split, with some former members forming the Independent Grassroots Party for one election cycle.[1]
1998—2012
In 1998, members of the Independent Grassroots Party formed the Minnesota Legal Marijuana Now political party.[1]
Minnesota does not allow voters to petition to put the law itself onto the ballot for a vote. The only petition the people can use in Minnesota is to nominate independent and third party candidates for office.[8]
2014—2018
In 2014, Dan Vacek ran for Minnesota Attorney General as the Legal Marijuana Now candidate and got 57,604 votes, qualifying the party to be officially recognized and to receive public funding from the state.[9]
Minnesota Legal Marijuana Now held their first convention and adopted a party constitution on November 26, 2014. Founding members Oliver Steinberg, Marty Super, and Dan Vacek comprised the organization's 2015 leadership council.
In 2016, Michael Ford was elected chairperson of the Minnesota Legal Marijuana Now Party. From 2018—2019, Marty Super served as chairperson.[10] Tim Davis became chairperson of Minnesota Legal Marijuana Now in 2020.
The Legal Marijuana Now Party placed a candidate, Zach Phelps, on the ballot in the Minnesota State Senate District 35 Special Election, in February 2016.[11][12]
Minnesota Legal Marijuana Now nominated candidates by petition to appear on the ballot for the November 6, 2018 election.[13] Their candidate for State Auditor, Michael Ford, who is African-American, received 133,913 votes or 5.28%, qualifying Minnesota Legal Marijuana Now Party to be an official major party in the state, which gives Legal Marijuana Now candidates ballot access without the task of having to petition.[3]
2019—2020
The Legal Marijuana Now Party placed a candidate, John “Sparky” Birrenbach, of Pine City on the ballot in the Minnesota State Senate District 11 Special Election, in February 2019.[14]
In 2020, Legal Marijuana Now candidate Adam Weeks who was on the ballot in Minnesota's 2nd congressional district where Democratic Representative Angie Craig was seeking re-election in a close race, died four weeks before the November 3 election, throwing the election into chaos because a Minnesota state law said that if a major party candidate died during an election campaign, a special election would be held. Federal judges ruled that the election should go ahead because federal law setting the date of the election preempted the state law,[15][16] so the name of the candidate, Paula Overby, who was nominated by Legal Marijuana Now Party to replace Weeks, was not on the ballot.[17] State Legal Marijuana Now Party leaders encouraged their supporters to cast their votes for Weeks, in memoriam, and the dead candidate received 5.83% of votes in the three-way race.[18] Prior to his death, Weeks had admitted that he had been recruited by the Republican Party to pull votes from the Democratic candidate.[19]
During the 2020 election campaign, Minnesota Democratic Party leaders said that the Legal Marijuana Now Party made it harder for DFL candidates to win.[16] But a St. Cloud Times analysis of votes cast in the November 3, 2020, election found that the marijuana candidates took at least as many votes, if not more, from Republican candidates than they took from Democratic candidates.[5]
Kevin O’Connor, the Legal Marijuana Now nominee for United States Senator in 2020, received 190,154 votes in the November 3 election, the largest number of votes received by any such third-party candidate nationwide.[4][20]
Since 2021
2021 municipal elections
Legal Marijuana Now congressional candidate Mickey Moore entered the 2021 Ward 9 Minneapolis City Council race. In the nonpartisan municipal election, Moore was endorsed by the Minneapolis Area DFL Senior Caucus, Operation Safety Now, Minneapolis’ firefighters union. Other candidates in the race had endorsements including the Minneapolis Democratic Party, Twin Cities Democratic Socialists, Somali Business Association.[21]
2022 special election
Minnesota Legal Marijuana Now Party nominated Richard Reisdorf of Mankato, a disabled American war veteran, to run for United States Representative from Minnesota's 1st congressional district in the August 9, 2022, special election.[22]
2022 Minnesota state elections
In 2022, Minnesota Legal Marijuana Now Party nominated substitute teacher and former city clerk Eric Leitzen for Minnesota State Senator from District 26.[23]
In the District 54A race for Minnesota State Representative, Legal Marijuana Now Party nominated Ryan Martin, an automobile mechanic who was the party’s nominee for District 55A representative in 2020.[24]
2022 federal elections
Paula Overby, a Bernie Sanders democrat who sought the DFL nomination for U.S. Senator in 2020, was nominated by Minnesota Legal Marijuana Now Party, in 2022, to run for U.S. Representative from the 2nd congressional district. Overby, an information technology director and author of the 2017 book The Transgender Myth: Through the Gender Looking Glass, had previously been nominated by Legal Marijuana Now Party for the 2nd congressional district in 2020 after candidate Adam Weeks' death. Overby’s platform included marijuana legalization and universal Medicare.[25][26][27] Overby and her campaign had ties to the Republican Party.[28]
On October 5th, Overby died of a heart valve condition, which her son confirmed to WCCO-TV.[29] The Minnesota Secretary of State's office published a press release stating that due a 2021 federal court ruling in the wake of Adam Weeks' death, the congressional election would go ahead as scheduled on November 8th, and Overby's name would appear on the ballot.[30]
Electoral history
1998 election results
Year | Office | Candidate | Popular votes | Percentage |
---|---|---|---|---|
1998 | United States Representative, District 4 | Dan Vacek | 5,839[31] | 2.40% |
2014—2018 election results
Year | Office | Candidate | Popular votes | Percentage |
---|---|---|---|---|
2014 | Minnesota Attorney General | Dan Vacek | 57,604[32] | 2.99% |
2016 | Minnesota State Senator, District 35 | Zachary Phelps[12] | 180[33] | 4.10% |
2016 | United States Representative, District 4 | Susan Pendergast Sindt | 27,152[34] | 7.71% |
2016 | United States Representative, District 5 | Dennis Schuller | 30,759[34] | 8.50% |
2016 | Minnesota State Senator, District 60 | Martin Super | 8,861[34] | 21.78% |
2018 | United States Senator | Dennis Schuller | 66,236[35] | 2.55% |
2018 | United States Senator | Sarah Wellington | 95,614[35] | 3.70% |
2018 | United States Representative, District 4 | Susan Pendergast Sindt | 13,776[36] | 4.19% |
2018 | Minnesota State Auditor | Michael Ford | 133,913[37] | 5.28% |
Results in Minnesota state elections
Results in 2020 federal elections
Year | Office | Candidate | Popular votes | Percentage |
---|---|---|---|---|
2020 | United States Senator | Kevin O’Connor | 190,154[20] | 5.92% |
2020 | United States Representative, District 2 | Adam Charles Weeks | 24,751[18] | 5.83% |
2020 | United States Representative, District 5 | Michael Moore | 29,537[52] | 9.54% |
2020 | United States Representative, District 7 | Slater Johnson | 37,979[53] | 4.87% |
Further reading
- Simons, Abby (November 5, 2014) Minors Lead on Marijuana Star Tribune
- Gettman, Jon (February 9, 2016) Minnesota Maverick Pushes Legalization Platform in Special Election High Times
- Bierschbach, Briana (November 7, 2018) Minnesota poised to get two new major pot parties Minnesota Public Radio
- Legal Marijuana Now Party Gains Traction WCCO-TV, November 7, 2018
- Bierschbach, Briana & Van Berkel, Jessie (November 5, 2020) Marijuana candidates shake up Minnesota races Star Tribune
See also
References
- ^ a b c d Harvieux, Vincent (May 3, 2018). "Joint Ops: Why Minnesota has two pro-marijuana parties". Perfect Duluth Day.
- ^ Bloch, Emily (October 2, 2019). "Alternatives to the Two Major Political Parties, Explained". Teen Vogue.
- ^ a b Octavio, Miguel; Tarala, Kassidy (January 15, 2019). "Midterms boost influence of pro-cannabis political parties". University of Minnesota.
- ^ a b Beaudoin, Dave G. (January 29, 2021). "77 third-party candidates received more votes than the winner's margin of victory in 2020". Ballotpedia.
- ^ a b Hertel, Nora G. (November 14, 2020). "Republican voters choose legal marijuana party candidates in tight legislative races". St. Cloud Times.
- ^ Callaghan, Peter (July 20, 2022). "Marijuana advocates in Minnesota campaigning against legalization parties, infiltrators, in key swing districts". MinnPost.
… a coalition to help DFLers in battleground races. Specifically, the MN Is Ready organization …
- ^ Condon, Patrick (21 June 2014). "Pot activists light up Minnesota ballot". Star Tribune. Archived from the original on 12 April 2021. Retrieved 27 July 2022.
- ^ Condon, Patrick (June 21, 2014). "Pot activists light up Minnesota ballot". Star Tribune.
- ^ Du, Susan (July 19, 2017). "Reefer Riches: What Minnesota could learn about recreational marijuana". City Pages. [dead link]
- ^ Pugmire, Tim (September 25, 2019). "New political parties try to organize around support for legal marijuana". Minnesota Public Radio.
- ^ Brash, Jim (April 20, 2016). "Q & A with the Legal Marijuana Now Party of Minnesota". The North Star. Archived from the original on May 10, 2017.[non-primary source needed]
- ^ a b Gettman, John (9 February 2016). "Pot Matters: Minnesota Maverick Pushes Legalization Platform in Special Election". High Times. Retrieved 1 April 2022.
- ^ Jones, Hannah (August 30, 2018). "The Minnesota State Fair's weed activists are kindly waiting for you to realize they're right". City Pages.
- ^ Van Oot, Torey (January 8, 2019). "Field set for Minnesota's special Senate election to fill Tony Lourey's seat". Star Tribune.
- ^ "Marijuana Party Candidate's Death Is No Reason to Pause Election". Bloomberg Law. October 23, 2020.
- ^ a b Van Berkel, Jessie; Bierschbach, Briana (November 5, 2020). "Marijuana candidates shake up Minnesota races". Star Tribune.
- ^ Associated Press (October 6, 2020). "Legal Marijuana Now Party Names New 2nd District Candidate Following Death Of Adam Weeks". CBS Minnesota.
- ^ a b "2020 Results for US Representative District 2". electionresults.sos.state.mn.us.
- ^ Bierschbach, Briana. "Pot party candidate said GOP recruited him to 'pull votes' from Minnesota Democrat". Star Tribune. Retrieved 2022-09-12.
- ^ a b "2020 Results for US Senator".
- ^ Duggan, JD (June 24, 2021). "We asked the Minneapolis City Council candidates for Ward 9 what they would do about police reform, rebuilding East Lake Street, homelessness, and rent control: Jason Chavez, Mickey Moore, and Haji Yussuf spoke to Sahan Journal about their policy ideas, their personal experiences—and why they deserve your vote". Sahan Journal.
Mickey Moore ... has emerged as the chosen candidate for Operation Safety Now ... the Minneapolis Area DFL Seniors Caucus ... Minneapolis' firefighters union; and others. Moore was also a Congressional candidate from the Legal Marijuana Now party
- ^ "Two more file for 1st District congressional seat". Mankato Free Press. March 8, 2022.
- ^ "Leitzen announces candidacy". Fillmore County Journal. June 6, 2022.
- ^ "Legal Marijuana Now candidate Ryan Martin to run for District 55A". Shakopee Valley News. June 11, 2020.
- ^ Johnson, Brett (July 31, 2020). "Paula Overby: DFL candidate for US Senate". KTNF.
- ^ Johnson, Tad (July 8, 2022). "Two additional candidates complicate 2nd District race". Sun This Week.
Overby would have taken the place of Legal Marijuana Now Party 2nd District candidate Adam Weeks in 2020 had a special election been allowed.
- ^ "This Minnesota county will decide one of the most competitive House races". Politico. July 12, 2022.
Overby's platform of marijuana and "Medicare for All" may rouse more liberal voters.
- ^ Griffith, Michelle (2022-09-09). "Pot party candidate for U.S. House has GOP ties; Dems allege she's a spoiler". Minnesota Reformer. Retrieved 2022-09-12.
- ^ "Paula Overby, Legal Marijuana Now Party candidate in 2nd District, dies". www.cbsnews.com. Retrieved 2022-10-06.
- ^ "Minnesota Secretary Of State - Office Statement on Congressional District 2 Election". www.sos.state.mn.us. Retrieved 2022-10-06.
- ^ Minnesota Secretary of State (November 1998). "Minnesota Election Results 1998, p. 43" (PDF). Minnesota Legislative Reference Library.
- ^ "2014 Election Results Minnesota Attorney General". Minnesota Secretary of State. November 2014.
- ^ "2016 Results Minnesota Special Election, District 35". Minnesota Secretary of State. February 2016.
- ^ a b c "Minnesota State Canvassing Report: 2016 General Election" (PDF). Minnesota Secretary of State. November 29, 2016.
- ^ a b "2018 Election Results United States Senator". Minnesota Secretary of State. November 2018.
- ^ "2018 Election Results United States Representative District 4". Minnesota Secretary of State. November 2018.
- ^ "2018 Election Results Minnesota State Auditor". Minnesota Secretary of State. November 2018.
- ^ "2019 Results Minnesota Minnesota Special Election, District 11". Minnesota Secretary of State. February 2019.
- ^ "Index - ElectionResults.Web". electionresults.sos.state.mn.us. Retrieved 2020-07-13.
- ^ "2020 Results for Minnesota State Senator District 5". electionresults.sos.state.mn.us.
- ^ "2020 Results for Minnesota State Senator District 14". electionresults.sos.state.mn.us.
- ^ "2020 Results for Minnesota State Senator District 16". electionresults.sos.state.mn.us.
- ^ "2020 Results for Minnesota State Senator District 23". electionresults.sos.state.mn.us.
- ^ "2020 Results for Minnesota State Senator District 27". electionresults.sos.state.mn.us.
- ^ "2020 Results for Minnesota State Senator District 45". electionresults.sos.state.mn.us.
- ^ "2020 Results for Minnesota State Senator District 64". electionresults.sos.state.mn.us.
- ^ "2020 Results for Minnesota State Senator District 17A". electionresults.sos.state.mn.us.
- ^ "2020 Results for Minnesota State Senator District 40B". electionresults.sos.state.mn.us.
- ^ "2020 Results for Minnesota State Senator District 55A". electionresults.sos.state.mn.us.
- ^ "2020 Results for Minnesota State Senator District 63A". electionresults.sos.state.mn.us.
- ^ "2020 Results for Minnesota State Senator District 63B". electionresults.sos.state.mn.us.
- ^ "2020 Results for US Representative District 5". electionresults.sos.state.mn.us.
- ^ "2020 Results for US Representative District 7". electionresults.sos.state.mn.us.
External links
- 1998 establishments in Minnesota
- Cannabis law reform organizations based in the United States
- Cannabis in Minnesota
- Cannabis political parties of the United States
- Drug policy organizations based in the United States
- Single-issue political parties
- Political parties established in 1998
- Political parties in Minnesota
- Progressive parties in the United States
- Social democratic parties in the United States