The2024 Minnesota Legal Marijuana Now presidential primary took place on March 5, 2024, for the2024 presidential election. The contest was held onSuper Tuesday alongside primaries in 14 other states andterritories.[1] The race was the firstLegal Marijuana Now Party presidential primary, and the firstthird party presidential primary run by the state ofMinnesota since1916.[2]Krystal Gabel, an activist fromColorado, earned a plurality of votes in the election, despite having withdrawn from the race, asking people to not vote for her.[3]
Krystal Gabel, who had been national chairperson of the Legal Marijuana Now Party from 2021 through 2023, withdrew from the race during the party's candidate filing discussions. In 2024, when Gabel asked to be removed from the ballot afterearly voting had started on January 19, theMinnesota Secretary of State's office stated that changes cannot be made to the list of candidates after being certified at the beginning of January, and Gabel's name remained on ballots.[7][8]
Of Minnesota's three major political parties, all of which included a write in option for their 2024 nominating primaries, only the Legal Marijuana Now party submitted a write in name to be counted,Willie Nelson, to the Secretary of State.[9]
ThoughKrystal Gabel won the primary, due to her withdrawal, second-place winnerDennis Schuller was awarded the nomination. The party lost its ballot standing soon after the primary election in a court ruling on a challenge by theMinnesota Democratic Party.[10] Schuller ran as a write-in candidate for president along with his running mate,Rudy Reyes.[11]
Minnesota Legal Marijuana Now primary, March 5, 2024
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