Texas' Sore Loser Law and Third Party Candidates.

In order to be on the Ballot for the March 1st primary, you must file by Dec 14, 2015.

If you are an independent candidate for the Nov, 2016 General, you must also file by Dec 14, 2015.

If you are a political party that doesn't choose your candidate by Primary ballot, you must file your party's intent to field a candidate by Dec 14, 2015.

If you file for a place on the ballot for Mar 1, 2016, and you do not win the Primary in which you run, you cannot be on the Nov, 2016 ballot. Period.

The only candidates that can be on the Nov, 2016 ballot that haven't specifically announced their intent to do so by Dec 14, 2015 are candidates chosen by parties that don't use a Primary for nomination that have filed as a party to field a candidate by Dec 14, 2015 and then, only if the candidate didn't previously lose a primary during the same election cycle.

Texas Sore Loser Law means that Donald Trump will have to make up his mind by Dec 14, 2015 to run as an independent (well before the first primary race). If he files as a GOP candidate, he must win the primary or he cannot be on the Nov, 2016 ballot.

This law is designed to prevent just what is being speculated: a candidate holding a political party hostage with the threat of a third party run.

If a third party candidate can't win Texas, can't even be on that ballot, then they are just a spoiler.

You could only run in two Primaries and be on the Nov ballot if you won both. Lose one, and you are barred from being on the Nov ballot as a Primary loser.

Now. If Texas had a system like NY where the Conservative Party sometimes endorses the Republican candidate, that would work. A Conservative Party nominating by convention after the Primary could nominate another Party’s primary winner. Just not a loser.

I had not heard of this law, thanks for posting this.

OPINION:
The ONLY way Trump will run as a third party would be, IF the GOP leadership was to employ dirty tricks... Like, for example, excluding Trump from the national debates, when Trump is leading in the polls.

The GOP leadership has a right to choose who IS a Republican; Trump has a right to go his own way.

I suspect Trump would announce a third-party run long before December.

If Trump is in the Republican debates, and falls of his own weight, he will not run as a third party candidate.

If the GOP establishment kicks Trump out of the party, (which may very well happen,) or tries to exclude him from the debates, EXPECT Trump to act accordingly. He would be right in doing this; the GOP establishment would leave him no choice.

If Trump loses the Republican nomination, after being fairly heard, he will call it quits and support the winner.

The GOP establishment is planting seeds of doubt with this smear campaign, Trump should clearly articulate his opinion on this, and why he is keeping this option open; that would shut the talking heads up.

If Trump wanted to he could run as a libertarian. They’d change some of their platform just to get that kind of face time. They were on the ballot in 48 states in 2012 plus the District of Columbia. They were not on the ballot in Oklahoma and were an acceptable write-in in Michigan.

They are the most viable 3rd party.

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