HB 2504 and lesser third parties in Texas

House Bill 2504, as blogged about by me, greatly lowered the bar for third parties to have statewide party ballot access here in the Pointy Abandoned Object State™.

The real world implications are that the Greens are on the ballot for 2020.

Will they stay on there?

After all, in 2016, Dems cock-blocked Greens on Court of Criminal Appeals Place 5.

And in 2018, they had a statewide CCA race with no Democrat running — and no Green filed.

AND, as I noted in my 2016 post-mortem, the state GP has been kind of struggling, to put it politely. That then said, the 2019 state convention seems to have partially revitalized the party.

On the other hand, per his comment on my 2016 post-mortem, we now no longer have straight-ticket voting in Texas. That means a Dem warm body on a judicial race has less cock-block power.

What if the Greens keep imploding? Or what if either Libertarians or the Dan Patrick / Former Fetus, Forever Fuckwad Jonathan Stickland wing of the GOP aren't Religious Right enough?

Do either the Socialist Party USA or the Constitution Party have a snowball's chance?

Well, maybe a slightly bigger snowball's chance than before. Let's take note that the Constitution Party, along with America's Party of Texas, are plaintiffs in the suit against the state that partially involves HB 2504.

And Dems, if you don't like the bill, go out and fund you some Constitution Party ballot access petition signing. All's fair in love and war, and per Clauswitz, politics is war extended as much as vice versa.

And Republicans, if the Greens implode more? Fund you some Socialists. (Actual Socialists, not DSA Dems.) I'll gladly pull that lever.

In short, to Texas Greens more into party organization than I am? This is a gift. With an expiration date. Candidates must be found for statewide (and lesser) offices in 2020. (Below the state level, if Dems won't primary ConservaDem state Sen. John Whitmire, some Green needs to be there!)

At the same time, this could be affected by national-level events. With Howie Hawkins getting the SPUSA presidential nomination, he's their highest-profile candidate ever. At the same time, in apparent contravention of Green Party rules, he's seeking that nomination as well. And, the more conspiracy-minded don't like his half-right half-wrong stance on All Things Russia and Elections.