Against a legal and administrative backdrop where the state party is embroiled in the new California lawsuit against top-two elections, the American Solidarity Party is promoting the gubernatorial candidacy of Duane Loynes Jr., a recent graduate of Loyola Marymount University. With the American Solidarity Party not being a recognized political party in California, Mr. Loynes is running under the No Party Preference (NPP) banner in the upcoming primary election.

This situation where Mr. Loynes is unable to state his party preference is in fact part of what explains the amended complaint filed in Peace & Freedom Party v. Weber, where the American Solidarity Party joined other plaintiffs arguing that current ballot labeling rules disadvantage candidates from non-qualified parties. Because such candidates like Loynes are listed as having “no party preference” despite their actual affiliation, the filing contends that voters are given incomplete or misleading information at the ballot box.

Together with Desmond Silveira for CA Secretary of State, Loynes is part of a broader effort by the party to translate its platform into viable statewide candidacies, despite the structural limitations imposed by California election law culminating in the lawsuit above.

Loynes’ campaign messaging emphasizes themes consistent with the party’s established framework, including economic policies oriented toward families and workers, a focus on subsidiarity in governance, and a stated commitment to human dignity across policy areas. Campaign materials also point to positions on housing, homelessness, and immigration, with an emphasis on pairing enforcement mechanisms with what the campaign describes as humane and community-focused approaches.

The campaign remains in an embryonic organizational phase, relying on volunteer signature gathering to meet ballot access thresholds and presumably in the same boat regarding securing financial resources to promote the campaign. As with other minor party efforts in California, its prospects are shaped not only by voter outreach but also by institutional factors, including the outcome of ongoing legal challenges and the party’s ability to convert registration gains into electoral viability.