This story lists five independent candidates for U.S. Senate, and six independent candidates for Governor, who are polling at 5% or higher.
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On July 24, California filed this brief in Ware v Weber, e.d., 2:26cv-1643. This is the case in which Butch Ware argues that the California law requiring gubernatorial candidates to file copies of the last five years’ tax returns is unconstitutional. The state’s brief says the case is moot. It does not acknowledge that in this year’s primary, three gubernatorial candidates were kept off the ballot because the tax returns law. This is relevant because the state assumes that the law does not create a recurring problem for gubernatorial candidates.
The other two candidates who had problems with the tax returns requirement were Che Ahn and Gheorghe Roper.
On July 27, the New Mexico Forward Party filed this brief in its ballot access case, New Mexico Forward Party v Toulouse Oliver, 1:26cv-2286. The party seeks injunctive relief to place its two statewide nominees on the ballot.
On July 27, President Trump asked the U.S. Supreme Court to set aside the First Circuit’s ruling in the case involving the federal list of voters and its relationship to the U.S. Postal Service. Trump v State of California. Here is Trump’s filing, which argues that the lower court should not have acted because the Trump scheme is not yet ready for implementation anyway.
On July 15, the Kansas No Labels Party filed a lawsuit in state court to regain its status as a qualified party. Miller v Schwab, Shawnee County District Court, SN 2026-vb-000563. The state had removed the party because the old state party officers from 2024 had asked that it be removed. But in the meantime, the party had held a state convention and elected new officers, and the new officers want the party to continue to exist. But the Secretary of State wouldn’t recognize the new officers.