[EL] presidential primaries and sore loser laws

[Richard Winger]

The Sep 1 2015 Ballot Access News print edition has a chart listing the most recent precedent from 33 states plus DC that sore loser laws don't pertain to presidential primaries.  In other words, there are 34 jurisdictions that have printed someone's name on the November ballot for president outside the major parties even though that individual had also run in a presidential primary in that same state, that same year.
For the other 17 jurisdictions, the chart shows that 9 of them don't have presidential primaries, and 5 of the remaining states don't have sore loser laws.  That leaves Virginia, Texas, and South Dakota.  But Virginia's law can't possibly apply to presidential primaries because it says "If the candidate is defeated in the primary, his name is not to be printed on the succeeding general election", but Michael Dukakis came in 3rd in 1988 in the Virginia Dem primary and yet his name was printed on the Nov. 1988 ballot.
If anyone wants a copy, let me know. Richard Winger 415-922-9779 PO Box 470296, San Francisco Ca 94147
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