A Writer’s Diary Entries From Late February, 1998 | Richard Grayson

A Writer’s Diary Entries From Late February, 1998 | Richard Grayson

A Writer’s Diary Entries From Mid-February, 1998 | Richard Grayson

A Writer’s Diary Entries From Mid-February, 1998 | Richard Grayson

A Writer’s Diary Entries From Early February, 1998 | Richard Grayson

A Writer’s Diary Entries From Early February, 1998 | Richard Grayson

A Writer’s Diary Entries From Late January, 1998 | Richard Grayson

A Writer’s Diary Entries From Late January, 1998 | Richard Grayson

A Writer’s Diary Entries From Mid-January, 1998 | Richard Grayson

A Writer’s Diary Entries From Mid-January, 1998 | Richard Grayson

A Writer’s Diary Entries From Early January, 1998 | Richard Grayson

A Writer’s Diary Entries From Early January, 1998 | Richard Grayson

A Writer’s Diary Entries From Late December, 1997 | Richard Grayson

A Writer’s Diary Entries From Late December, 1997 | Richard Grayson

A Writer’s Diary Entries From Mid-December, 1997 | Richard Grayson

A Writer’s Diary Entries From Mid-December, 1997 | Richard Grayson 

A Writer’s Diary Entries From Early December, 1997 | Richard Grayson

A Writer’s Diary Entries From Early December, 1997 | Richard Grayson

A Writer’s Diary Entries From Late November, 1997 | Richard Grayson

A Writer’s Diary Entries From Late November, 1997 | Richard Grayson

A Writer’s Diary Entries From Mid-November, 1997 | Richard Grayson

A Writer’s Diary Entries From Mid-November, 1997 | Richard Grayson

A Writer’s Diary Entries From Early November, 1997 | Richard Grayson

A Writer’s Diary Entries From Early November, 1997 | Richard Grayson

A Writer’s Diary Entries From Late October, 1997 | Richard Grayson

A Writer’s Diary Entries From Late October, 1997 | Richard Grayson

A Writer’s Diary Entries From Mid-October, 1997 | Richard Grayson

A Writer’s Diary Entries From Mid-October, 1997 | Richard Grayson

A Writer’s Diary Entries From Early October, 1997 | Richard Grayson

A Writer’s Diary Entries From Early October, 1997 | Richard Grayson

A Writer’s Diary Entries From Late September, 1997 | by Richard Grayson

Writer’s Diary Entries From Late September, 1997 | by Richard Grayson

A Writer’s Diary Entries From Mid-September, 1997 | Richard Grayson

A Writer’s Diary Entries From Mid-September, 1997 | Richard Grayson

A Writer’s Diary Entries From Early September, 1997 | by Richard Grayson

A Writer’s Diary Entries From Early September, 1997 | by Richard Grayson

A Writer’s Diary Entries From Late August, 1997 | by Richard Grayson

A Writer’s Diary Entries From Late August, 1997 | by Richard Grayson

The New Yorker Publishes an Article, "In Arizona, No Labels Is Attracting Potential Candidates It Doesn't Want," that Mentions Richard Grayson

Today, Wednesday, October 25, 2023, The New Yorker has published a "Daily Comment" article by Sue Halpern, "In Arizona, No Labels Is Attracting Potential Candidates It Doesn't Want," that mentions Richard Grayson. 

Arizona Republic Article on Arizona No Labels Party Lawsuit Quotes Richard Grayson

Today, Wednesday, October 25, 20123, the Arizona Republic published an article by Ray Stern, "Adrian Fontes, No Labels Party spar over candidates using party name. Here's the latest," that mentions Richard Grayson as one of the No Labels Party candidates targeted by the legal action:

Two Arizonans filed statements of interest to run under the No Labels label over the summer: U.S. Senate candidate Tyson Draper and state Corporation Commission candidate Richard Grayson, the latter a progressive Democrat who previously told The Arizona Republic he's trying to undermine the new party.

Draper, a high school coach who runs a conservative news site, responded to a request for comment by The Arizona Republic by saying: "go f*** yourself."

Following the second candidate's filing in August, the Washington D.C.-based political party sent a letter to Fontes' office saying it "does not desire to have the names of candidates for any other office printed on the official general-election ballot at the 2024 general election."

Arizona Elections Director Colleen Connor last month responded that the state would keep accepting candidate statements of interest and nominating petitions "for any eligible voter who seeks to use No Labels' ballot line in the 2024 election."

Grayson pointed out that if the party succeeds in banning unauthorized No Labels candidates, the people registered to vote under No Labels wouldn't get to participate in August's primary election at all.

Voters tired of the two-party system would be "better off registering as an independent," which would allow them to choose which party's ballot they want in the primary, he said.

A version of the article appeared in the print edition of the Arizona Republic on pages 1B and 2B on Sunday, October 29, 2023.

A Writer’s Diary Entries From Mid-August, 1997 | by Richard Grayson

A Writer’s Diary Entries From Mid-August, 1997 | by Richard Grayson

Arizona Republic Column on Arizona No Labels Party Lawsuit Mentions Richard Grayson

Today, Monday, October 23, 2023, the Arizona Republic published an online column by Abe Kwok, "No Labels wants a judge to block some candidates from running. The law may not be on its side," that mentions Richard Grayson as one of the No Labels Party candidates targeted:

No Labels officials rest their argument on a state statute that says: “At a primary election, each political party entitled and intending to make nominations for the ensuing general or special election, if it desires to have the names of its candidates printed on the official ballot at that general or special election, shall nominate its candidates … .”

They interpret the qualifying language “intending to make nominations” and “if it desires to have the names of its candidates printed” to mean the law gives political parties the ultimate say on candidates and whether to hold a primary.

But that statute narrowly relates to the nomination of candidates for printing on an official ballot.

At least one of the two people who filed paperwork, Richard Grayson, is seeking to run as a write-in candidate — that is, forgoing the process of gathering nomination signatures needed to secure his name on the ballot.

Grayson is taking advantage of, as he has done before, Arizona’s rules for parties that have “not qualified for continued representation,” including new political parties. Those rules allow a candidate to win the party nomination with a simple plurality of the vote.

Grayson won one primary race with a mere two votes and another one with 11.

More relevant is an Arizona law related to new political parties: “A new political party may become eligible for recognition and shall be represented by an official party ballot at the next ensuing regular primary election.”

. . .

No Labels’ suit isn’t the first time that Grayson, a lifelong Democrat who admits to simply wanting to sabotage No Labels, has been targeted for removal from running.

The Green Party sued him and other Green write-in primary winners in 2010, as well as the then-Secretary of State Ken Bennett and the 15 county recorders, to keep the Green primary winners off general election ballots.

The party lost.

Grayson welcomes another round of legal clarity.

Either way, he’ll be running as a No Labels party member regardless the outcome: Alaska last month certified him as a candidate for Congress in its open primary election.

A print version of the story appeared on page 4B of the October 25, 2023 Arizona Republic.

A Writer’s Diary Entries From Early August, 1997 | by Richard Grayson

A Writer’s Diary Entries From Early August, 1997 | by Richard Grayson

AP Article on No Labels Suing Arizona to Block Arizona No Labels Party Candidates Mentions Richard Grayson

An Associated Press article by Jonathan J. Cooper, "No Labels sues Arizona to block opponents from using the new political party to run for office," published today, September 28, 2023, mentions Richard Grayson:

The No Labels party on Thursday filed a lawsuit in Arizona seeking to block its ballot line from being used by Democrats who oppose the group’s efforts to launch a third-party ticket for president next year.

The lawsuit asks a federal judge in Phoenix to block Democratic Secretary of State Adrian Fontes from allowing people to run for offices other than president or vice president under the No Labels banner.

Fontes’s office told the group last month that it is obligated to accept filings from candidates even if party leaders reject them. At least one person who’s filed under No Labels is a Joe Biden supporter who opposes the group and wants it to disclose its donors, something long sought by supporters of the president.

...

Candidates have filed statements of interest to run for U.S. Senate and Arizona Corporation Commission, the state’s utility regulator. One of them, Corporation Commission candidate Richard Grayson, is a No Labels opponent who has been critical of the group’s efforts.

A Writer’s Diary Entries From Late July, 1997 | Richard Grayson

A Writer’s Diary Entries From Late July, 1997 | Richard Grayson

A Writer’s Diary Entries From Mid-July, 1997 | Richard Grayson

A Writer’s Diary Entries From Mid-July, 1997 | Richard Grayson

Cambodia (World Bibliographical Series), Published by Clio Press, Contains a Short Discussion of Richard Grayson's "What Really Happened in Cambodia"

Cambodia, edited by Helen Jarvis and published by Clio Press in 1997 as part of its World Bibliographical Series, contains an entry for Richard Grayson's 1979 story, "What Really Happened in Cambodia" on page 272.

A Writer’s Diary Entries From Early July, 1997 | Richard Grayson

A Writer’s Diary Entries From Early July, 1997 | Richard Grayson

New York Times Article, "Biden Allies Try to Quash Third-Party Candidates, Fearing a Trump Win," Mentions Richard Grayson

Today, Monday, October 9, 2023, The New York Times has a front-page article "Biden Allies Try to Quash Third-Party Candidates, Fearing a Trump Win," mentions Richard Grayson's campaign to get No Labels to reveal its donors and features a photograph of Grayson.

A Writer’s Diary Entries From Late June, 1997 | Richard Grayson

A Writer’s Diary Entries From Late June, 1997 | Richard Grayson

A Writer’s Diary Entries From Mid-June, 1997 | Richard Grayson

A Writer’s Diary Entries From Mid-June, 1997 | Richard Grayson

A Writer’s Diary Entries From Early June, 1997 | Richard Grayson

A Writer’s Diary Entries From Early June, 1997 | Richard Grayson

Arizona Republic Article on No Labels Party Mentions Richard Grayson's Candidacy

Today, September 29, 2023, The Arizona Republic website published "No Labels can't stop candidates and a primary election it doesn't want," a column by Abe Kwok that mentions Richard Grayson's efforts to become an anti-No Labels Arizona No Labels Party candidate:

Arizona statute says, “A new political party may become eligible for recognition and shall be represented by an official party ballot at the next ensuing regular primary election.” The operative word being “shall.”

Beyond that, nothing stops someone who is registered with a political party from gathering sufficient nomination signatures to qualify the party’s primary election. The threshold is even easier for new political parties, requiring fewer signatures.

And the threshold is virtually nonexistent for someone like Richard Grayson, one of the two people whom No Labels is trying to block. Grayson, a dyed-in-the-wool Democrat and perennial candidate who describes his candidacy as performance art, plans on running as a write-in candidate.

He said he’s running chiefly to be a thorn in the side of No Labels, whose leadership he believes is helping former President Donald Trump get elected by siphoning votes away from President Joe Biden.

His plan is honed:

• Wait until the deadline for submitting signatures;

• See who qualifies for the ballot;

• Look for an office in which there’s no qualified Democratic candidate;

• and notify the Secretary of State’s Office of his plans to run as a write-in.

His name, along with those of other verified write-in candidates, will be made available on the web and at polling sites come election time. He only needs a few votes to advance. State law requires a plurality of the votes cast for the office. It could be one vote, theoretically.

Grayson has won three Arizona primaries by way of the wr‪ite-in route — twice under the Green Party and once under Americans Elect — with as few as two votes.

Even if not a single person qualifies as a No Labels candidate, everyone registered with No Labels gets a blank ballot (with only a listing of offices up for election) for the August 2024 state primary. And Grayson — unless challenged by another write-in for that yet-to-be-determined office — will represent No Labels.

Party support or not.

 

The column appered in the print Arizona Republic on Saturday, October 7, 2023.

Ballot Access News Publishes an Article on Richard Grayson as a No Labels Party Candidate in Alaska

Today, September 28, 2023, Ballot Access News published an article by Richard Winger, "Alaska U.S. House Candidate for 2024 with "No Labels" Qualifies for August 2024 Primary Ballot," about Richard Grayson's campaign.

AP Article on Arizona and No Labels Party Mentions Richard Grayson's Efforts As a No Labels Party Candidate

An Associated Press article by Jonathan J. Cooper, "Arizona says No Labels must accept all candidates even if the third party’s leadership opposes them," published today, September 28, 2023, mentions Richard Grayson:

Two potential candidates in Arizona have so far filed to run for office as No Labels party members: Tyson Draper for U.S. Senate and Richard Grayson for the state utility regulator, known as the Corporation Commission.

Grayson, who supports Biden, recently compared his plan to a “performance art piece.”

Alaska election officials also notified Grayson last week that he’ll appear on the primary ballot in that state for U.S. House as a No Labels candidate.

Grayson, a perennial candidate, has previously run for U.S. House in Wyoming despite living in Arizona, noting House candidates are only required to live in the state where they were elected once they take office.

A Writer’s Diary Entries From Late May, 1997 | Richard Grayson

A Writer’s Diary Entries From Late May, 1997 | Richard Grayson

A Writer’s Diary Entries From Mid-May, 1997 | Richard Grayson

A Writer’s Diary Entries From Mid-May, 1997 | Richard Grayson

AP Article on Arizona No Labels Party Mentions Richard Grayson and Pinal County No Labels Party Voters for Joe Biden

An Associated Press article by Jonathan J. Cooper, "A third party signed up 15,000 voters in Arizona. Democrats worry that’s enough for a Biden spoiler," published today, September 21, 2023, mentions Richard Grayson:

A perennial candidate from outside Phoenix signed up as a No Labels candidate and declared himself chairman of No Labels’ Pinal County chapter, in part so he could run for state office and try to force the party to follow the state’s campaign finance reporting laws.

“It’s kind of like a performance art piece,” said Richard Grayson, who promptly after switching to No Labels endorsed Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.

A Writer’s Diary Entries From Early May, 1997 | Richard Grayson

A Writer’s Diary Entries From Early May, 1997 | Richard Grayson

A Writer’s Diary Entries From Late April, 1997 | Richard Grayson

A Writer’s Diary Entries From Late April, 1997 | Richard Grayson

A Writer’s Diary Entries From Mid-April, 1997 | Richard Grayson

A Writer’s Diary Entries From Mid-April, 1997 | Richard Grayson

A Writer’s Diary Entries From Early April, 1997 | Richard Grayson

A Writer’s Diary Entries From Early April, 1997 | Richard Grayson

A Writer’s Diary Entries From Late March, 1997 | Richard Grayson

A Writer’s Diary Entries From Late March, 1997 | Richard Grayson