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Nebraska Legal Marijuana NOW Party

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Nebraska Legal Marijuana NOW Party
AbbreviationLMN
ChairpersonMark Elworth
Founded2016; 8 years ago (2016)
HeadquartersOmaha
IdeologyMarijuana legalization
National affiliationLegal Marijuana Now
Colors  Green
Seats in the U.S. Senate
0 / 2
Seats in the U.S. House
0 / 3
Statewide Executive Offices
0 / 6
Nebraska Supreme Court seats
0 / 6
Seats in the Nebraska Legislature (officially nonpartisan)
0 / 49

Nebraska Legal Marijuana NOW is a political third party in the U.S. state of Nebraska established in 2016 as the state affiliate of the Legal Marijuana Now Party.[1][2]

In 2022, Legal Marijuana NOW Party ran more candidates for Nebraska statewide offices than the Democratic Party recruited.[3] Their nominee for Attorney General, Larry Bolinger, got 188,648 votes, more than 30 percent, the highest percentage for a statewide Nebraska candidate running outside the two major parties in 86 years, when independent George Norris was reelected to U.S. Senate.[4]

History

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Background

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Main article: Legal Marijuana Now Party § History

Earning ballot access

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Mark Elworth petitioning for Legal Marijuana NOW in Omaha, 2015

2016—2019

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In 2016, the Nebraska Marijuana Party petitioned to be recognized as a major political party. To make the ballot, Nebraska Marijuana Party needed valid signatures equal to at least one-percent of the total votes cast for governor in 2014, or 5,397 signatures statewide.[5] In July, 2016, volunteers turned in 9,000 signatures to the Nebraska Secretary of State. However, the Secretary of State said that half of the signatures were invalid, falling short of the 5,397 needed.[6]

After failing to make it onto Nebraska ballots in 2016, the organization began circulating petitions for 2020 ballot access for a Nebraska Legal Marijuana NOW Party in September, 2016.[7] The party planned to collect 15,000 signatures for their second attempt at gaining ballot access.[8][9][10]

2020—2021

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Nebraska Legal Marijuana NOW Party leaders submitted their petition to the Secretary of State Bob Evnen on September 18, 2020. The party needed to collect the signatures of 6,800 registered Nebraska voters in order to qualify as an official state party. According to Elworth, they turned in 15,000 signatures, just to be safe.[11][12]

Evnen initially told petition drive organizers, Elworth and Krystal Gabel, on January 7, 2021, that the Legal Marijuana NOW Party petition was short by 28 signatures from Nebraska's 2nd congressional district, which includes Omaha.[13]

On April 21, 2021, after the Secretary of State reviewed some petition signatures that were challenged, Legal Marijuana NOW gained official recognition as a state political party in Nebraska, earning the party ballot access for their candidates, and allowing Legal Marijuana NOW Party to register voters.[1] Gabel, the national Legal Marijuana Now Party chairperson, told a reporter for the Star-Herald that the party is running several candidates in Nebraska at multiple levels of government, from United States Congress to local sheriffs.[2]

Since 2021

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2022—2023

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In 2022, Nebraska Legal Marijuana NOW Party ran more candidates, two, for statewide offices than the Nebraska Democratic Party recruited, one. The Libertarian Party also found more candidates, three. Only the Republican Party had candidates in all five Nebraska constitutional races in 2022.[3]

Larry Bolinger was nominated by Legal Marijuana NOW to run for Nebraska Attorney General in 2022. Bolinger, a resident of Alliance, Nebraska, focused on legalization of marijuana and expanding drug courts in the race to unseat Doug Peterson, who was seeking his third term as attorney general.[14][15]

During a radio interview on February 14, 2022, Bolinger, who previously had run for the Alliance Planning Commission, said “The way the Republican and Democratic parties have been treating each other over the past several years, they’re just full of hate and vinegar. And it’s kind of disgusting. I decided to go with this new party and just support the system how it’s supposed to be. We’re supposed to work together to make things right for the people.”[16]

Bolinger received 188,648 votes, 30.27%, in the 2022 Attorney General race, an office for which there was no Democratic Party nominee, the highest percentage for a statewide Nebraska candidate running outside the two major parties in 86 years, when independent George W. Norris was reelected to U.S. Senate.[4] Bolinger was one of the top three third party vote-getters, in the US.[17]

Leroy Lopez III, a Wilber bowling alley proprietor, ran for Nebraska Auditor of Public Accounts, in 2022. Lopez got 120,986 votes, finishing second in the three-way race.[18]

2024 elections

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No LMNP presidential candidates were recognized for the 2024 Nebraska primaries by Secretary of State Evnen, despite the party being ballot qualified in two states, Minnesota, and Nebraska.[19]

Nebraska LMNP held a primary on May 14, 2024, between Kerry Eddy of Lincoln, and Kenneth Peterson of Beatrice in the race for U.S. Senate. The winner, Eddy, withdrew from the race in July and endorsed independent candidate Dan Osborn over incumbent Republican senator Deb Fischer.[20][21]

Electoral history

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Results in Nebraska state elections

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Year Office Candidate Popular votes Percentage
2022 Nebraska Attorney General Larry Bolinger 188,648 30.27%
2022 Nebraska Auditor of Public Accounts L. Leroy Lopez 120,986 19.32%

Results in federal elections

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Year Office Candidate Popular votes Percentage
2022 United States Representative, District 3 Mark Elworth Jr. 13,015 5.90%

Further reading

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "'Legal Marijuana NOW' now recognized as a party in Nebraska". Associated Press. April 21, 2021.
  2. ^ a b Garcia, Justin (May 3, 2021). "Legal Marijuana NOW party makes pitch to area voters". Star-Herald. Archived from the original on 18 June 2021.
  3. ^ a b Swanson, Ian (March 16, 2022). "2022 campaign shows Nebraska has two weak political parties". Nebraska Examiner.
  4. ^ a b Winger, Richard (January 24, 2023). "Legal Marijuana Now Candidate in 2022 Polled Highest Share of Vote in a Statewide Nebraska Race for a Non-Major Party Nominee Since 1936". Ballot Access News.
  5. ^ Stoddard, Martha (July 23, 2016). "Marijuana party seeks spot on ballot for presidential race". Omaha World-Herald.
  6. ^ "Marijuana Party petition drive fails to result in ballot placement". Lincoln Journal Star. Associated Press. August 5, 2016.
  7. ^ Pluhacek, Zach (September 14, 2016). "Marijuana groups already petitioning for 2018 ballot". Lincoln Journal Star. Archived from the original on 16 September 2016.(subscription required)
  8. ^ Jordan, Spike (May 12, 2017). "Legalize Marijuana Now advocates petition to get pro-marijuana third-party on the ballot". Scottsbluff Star Herald. (subscription required)
  9. ^ Ozaki, Andrew (September 29, 2017). "Medical marijuana advocates petition to form Nebraska political party". KETV 7 ABC News.
  10. ^ Krohe, Kalin (April 4, 2018). "Krystal Gabel For Governor And Legal Marijuana Now Petition Signing In Scottsbluff". Panhandle Post.
  11. ^ Summers, Brandon (September 19, 2020). "Legal Marijuana Now submits petition to become new state party: Party plans to run its first candidate in 2022 campaign". Grand Island Independent.
  12. ^ Young, JoAnne (September 21, 2020). "Legal Marijuana Now Party turns in signatures for official recognition in Nebraska". Lincoln Journal Star.
  13. ^ Winger, Richard (January 8, 2021). "Nebraska Secretary of State Rejects Legal Marijuana Now Party Petition". Ballot Access News.
  14. ^ Walton, Don (July 12, 2021). "Legal Marijuana Now Party supports attorney general candidate". Lincoln Journal Star. Bolinger received 3,389 votes in the 2020 Republican congressional primary race. The newly formed Legal Marijuana Now Party qualified earlier this year for ballot access in Nebraska.
  15. ^ Carlson, Scott (July 15, 2021). "Legal Marijuana Now chairman to run for Nebraska AG". North Platte Post. At age 52, Bolinger earned a Bachelor of Science Degree at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, majoring in Political Science and Minor in Criminology with a concentration in government affairs and civic engagement. Bolinger has served on several local commissions, including the Alliance Planning Commission.
  16. ^ "Larry Bolinger, running for Attorney General on the Legal Marijuana Now Party ticket, joins us Feb. 14, 2022 to discuss issues". KNEB News. February 14, 2022.
  17. ^ Winger, Richard (November 16, 2022). "Three Statewide Minor Party Candidates Exceeded 30% of the Vote in November 2022". Ballot Access News.
  18. ^ "Librado Leroy Lopez III". Beatrice Daily Sun. November 25, 2023.
  19. ^ 1011 NOW (February 28, 2024). "Presidential candidates for Nebraska's primary ballot announced". KOLN.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  20. ^ von Kampen, Todd (March 20, 2024). "Osborn bucks Democrats, GOP in independent Senate bid against Fischer". North Platte Telegraph.
  21. ^ Sanderford, Aaron (2024-07-30). "Kerry Eddy leaves Nebraska's U.S. Senate race, endorses Osborn over Fischer • Nebraska Examiner". Nebraska Examiner. Retrieved 2024-09-21.
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