Springfield - The Progressive Party of Missouri recently announced that they were not able to accumulate the 10,000 valid petition signatures necessary for an unrecognized party to get placed on the state's 2010 ballot. The deadline for turning in petitions to the Secretary of State was July 26. The party had planned to run at least two candidates for federal offices in the November general election.

"It is an uphill battle for any parties that are on the outside of the established political system," said Midge Potts, who decided to end the US Senate campaign she began over a year ago in her home town of Springfield. "I feel I was successful in raising awareness about several issues that the mainstream politicians often try to gloss over, including global nuclear disarmament, equality for all Americans regardless of sexual orientation, ending the imperialist wars in the Middle East, legalizing cannabis and discontinuing bad trade agreements such as NAFTA. I just hope all the remaining candidates in the race to replace Senator Kit Bond are allowed to fully address the issues important to Missourians in fair inclusive debates."

Nicholas (NIL) Ladendorf said he will still be running for US Representative in Missouri's 7th Congressional district as a write-in candidate. "The silver lining in this may be that without emphasis on my party I can run on the issues instead of running against Glen Beck's war on the word Progressive," said Ladendorf, a cartoonist and stay at home dad who lives in Springfield. "I have been in correspondence with the Secretary of State's office to ensure that voters can write in my initials on the ballot since many are familiar with me as "NIL."

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