Ken Moellman

Ballot access for 3rd Congressional District Libertarian candidate Edward Martin has been challenged by Brad Cummings, the chairman of the Jefferson County Republican Party.

Martin submitted the requisite number of petition signatures to place his name on the ballot, but he is also a registered Republican – a status that may threaten his candidacy as a libertarian.

The challenge will go before a judge, who will consider its legal viability. The Libertarian Party, however, aims to contest the challenge.

"We've got a Supreme Court case, I've just got to find a lawyer," said Libertarian Party chair Ken Moellman.

After what has already been a turbulent election season for the Libertarian Party of Kentucky, chairman Ken Moellman said today that any challenges to ballot access for his party's presidential and congressional candidates would be ill-advised.

"A challenge shows desperation," Moellman told PolitickerKY.com.

Earlier this week, Polwatchers reported that Edward Martin - the Libertarian's candidate in the 3rd Congressional District - is a registered Republican. Such a status raises questions as to whether he can actually seek office as a Libertarian, according to state law.

"I don't suspect anyone will challenge," said Moellman. "If they did though, they would challenge Ed."

Moellman said allies of the Libertarian Party had researched the issue, and they are confident they have a defense for Martin's candidacy, should it be necessary. Martin has already collected and submitted the requisite signatures and paperwork to obtain ballot access, though his candidacy could still be subjected to a legal challenge, should one be registered.

Voters in Kentucky are likely to have another choice in the presidential race, come November's general election, as Libertarian candidate Bob Barr, of Georgia, is clearing more hurdles to ballot access.

As reported earlier by PolitickerKY.com, Libertarian party canvassers and activists collected more than the required number of signatures to secure ballot access for Barr, a former U.S. Rep.

The AP now reports the signatures have been officially submitted and necessary paperwork has been filed with the Secretary of State's office.

If no successful challenge is mounted to the signatures - which were collected jointly for ex-Libertarian Senate candidate Sonny Landham - Barr should secure a spot on Kentucky's ballots.

An effort to re-nominate former actor Sonny Landham as the Libertarian Party of Kentucky's U.S. Senate candidate was rejected by a vote of the party's executive committee, chairman Ken Moellman told PolitickerKY.com today.

"The motion to put Sonny back on failed," said Moellman. "At this point, it appears he will not be our candidate."

After a month as the prospective Libertarian candidate, Landham was stripped of the party's support after he made a string of anti-Arab comments topped by what could be interpretted as advocacy for a potential Arab genocide.

The Party's executive committee initially voted unanimously to withdraw Landham's nomination on July 28, after earlier launching a petitioning campaign to gain ballot access for both Landham and Libertarian presidential nominee and former U.S. Rep. Bob Barr, of Georgia. That campaign gained 7,700 signatures, according to Moellman, which is more than required for ballot access.

Sonny Landham's future as a U.S. Senate candidate remains pending as the Libertarian Party of Kentucky's executive committee is currently conducting an online vote to reconsider whether Landham can run under their banner this year.

In an appearance on The Weekly Filibuster radio program Wednesday evening, state Libertarian chair Ken Moellman said he expected a decision by morning on Landham's fate.

Moellman insists that Kentucky Libertarians never intended to knock Landham off of the state's ballos by revoking their endorsement of his candidacy in Monday night vote, but just wanted to disassociate themselves from Landham after he made a series of anti-Arab remarks.

Since that Monday vote, it has become clear that to continue his candidacy as an independent, Landham would need to collect 5,000 new original petition signatures by August 12 - a task Moellman said is impossible.

Now Moellman and the Libertarians are contemplating allowing Landham to continue as a Libertarian candidate, so he can use petition signatures already collected. Moellman argues that decision was based on the politics of ballot access.

"There are other factors involved here. Its more for the third party and independent movement in general," said Moellman on the Weekly Filibuster. "While that is not directly related to the LP, we have some concerns in that regard."

The Libertarian Party of Kentucky will reconsider its endorsement of Senate candidate Sonny Landham Wednesday evening, just days after initially disassociating their party from his bid. This news comes after the office of Kentucky's secretary of state announced yesterday that Landham would need 5,000 new petition signatures to secure ballot access to run as an independent.

"We're really stuck," said Libertarian Party chair Ken Moellman. "We don't necessarily want to kick him off the ballot."

The requisite signatures for Landham's ballot access were already reportedly obtained by Libertarian canvassers, but - without the Libertarian endorsement - Landham would need original signatures for an independent candidacy.

With an August 12 deadline for petition submissions, Moellman has said obtaining 5,000 new signatures in that window would be "impossible."

The Libertarian Party of Kentucky's executive committee voted last night to remove their endorsement of U.S. Senate candidate Sonny Landham, following a series of increasingly controversial comments he made about Arabs. Landham, however, remains unapologetic after seemingly calling for an Arab genocide, and asserts he will continue his campaign as an independent.

"The questions have been answered, the issues have been resolved, and we are now prepared to make our decision public," said Libertarian Party state chair Ken Moellman in a statement. "Sonny Landham will not be running for US Senate as a Libertarian."

Landham's candidacy as a Libertarian lasted just over a month and was officially terminated in a unanimous vote by party leadership.

The former actor was a controversial choice from the start given his history. Though he gained fame after starring in the action film Predator, he earned notoriety for his appearances in several pornographic films and policy videos for the Council of Conservative Citizens - considered a "hate group" by many. He then stirred controversy with some of his policy positions, including an outright denial of climate change.

The last straw for the Libertarian Party was evidently his dramatic comments about Arabs, which Landham delivered on several occasions last week.

The Libertarian Party of Kentucky's leadership will meet tonight to decide the fate of their Senate candidate, Sonny Landham. In the last week, Landham has made continual anti-Arab comments that culminated in an exchange on The Weekly Filibuster radio program Friday night. "So are you calling for a complete genocide of the Arab race? Is that what you're saying? Unless they raise the white flag?" asked one of the program's hosts, Sage Koontz.

"When you are in a war, you kill every thing that moves," responded Landham, a former actor who played Billy in action movie "Predator."

Friday's remarks came during Landham's second appearance on the internet radio program, and his comments were more intense than those from the first. In a Wednesday appearance on the Weekly Filibuster, Landham called for a stop to Arab immigration to the United States.

Libertarian Party leadership -- which had been leading the drive to collect signatures to secure Landham's access to Kentucky ballots -- is now considering whether they want Landham as their candidate at all.

Polwatchers reports the previously-unknown Libertarian candidate in Kentucky's 3rd Congressional District is Louisville businessman Edward Martin.

As reported last week, Martin already has the requisite signatures for ballot access in the state, though he had chosen to remain unannounced until yesterday.

Martin will now face former U.S. Rep Anne Northup (R-Louisville) and current incumbent Rep. John Yarmuth (D-Louisville) in the November general election.

The Libertarian Party of Kentucky has obtained the number of raw signatures necessary to secure ballot access for its candidates, the party's chair told PolitickerKY.com in an email today.

Paid canvassers and volunteer activists have submitted about 5,600 signatures to party organizers, according to state Libertarian Party chairman Ken Moellman.

If approved, the signatures would put the names of former actor Sonny Landham, of Ashland, and former U.S. Rep Bob Barr, of Georgia, on the state's ballots as Libertarian candidates for Senate and president, respectively.

The submission of 5,000 signatures per candidate to the Secretary of State's office is technically sufficient to gain ballot access in Kentucky, though Libertarian activists earlier noted that many signatures are challenged and seeking a total beyond the official mark is typically necessary.

Moellman indicated that he expects between 7,000 to 8,000 total signatures to be submitted by the completion of the ballot accesss campaign.