Green Party of the United States
www.gp.org
For Immediate Release:
September 12, 2018
Contact:
Ann Link, Co-Chair, Media Committee, ann.link@gp.org
Justin McCarthy, Co-Chair, Media Committee, justin.mccarthy@gp.org
State Green Parties are running statewide candidates in the midterm elections in many states to gain new ballot lines and defend existing ones. Achieving the votes required for ballot access in elections for statewide office is essential for the Green Party’s political survival because it enables other Green Party candidates to run with lower petition requirements, or without petitioning. In the 2016 general election, the Green Party had ballot lines in 44 states plus DC, including the seven largest states. Voters in three additional states could write in the presidential candidate, Jill Stein. Snapshots of some of these ballot access–critical races are below.
ARIZONA: Angel Torres won the Green Party primary for candidate for Governor on August 28 with 76.5% of the vote and will be the Green Party candidate on the general election ballot. Torres must get 5% (approximately 120,000 votes) in the governor’s race for the Arizona Green Party to retain ballot status. Torres will be in the Clean Elections candidate debate Monday night.
“In my opinion, the two greatest threats to our democratic republic and our planet are: the concentration of wealth into fewer hands, and global warming. It’s why I’m running for Governor of Arizona. I’m here to give a perspective that’s rarely heard in electoral politics today: the point of view from a union member. I’m running to secure the ballot line for the Arizona Green Party(AZGP) for the next four years, increase our voter registration numbers, and hopefully serve as an inspiration to my fellow union members to run for the Arizona State Legislature and the U.S. Congress in 2020.” Angel Torres, Candidate for Governor, Arizona
INDIANA: George Wolfe is running for Secretary of State as a write-in candidate and must get 2% of the vote in order for the Indiana Green Party to gain ballot status. In the 2016 elections, Indiana was one of only six states nationwide without the Green Party on the ballot.
MASSACHUSETTS: Three candidates are running for statewide office and one of them must achieve 3% of the vote for the Green-Rainbow Party to be classified as a political party with ballot status: Jamie Guerin for State Treasurer, Juan Sanchez for Secretary of the Commonwealth, and Edward ‘Jed’ Stamas for State Auditor .
“We need to end the corporate stranglehold over the state of Massachusetts and break free of the duopoly that is beholden to big money, the fossil fuel industry, and the war machine. The bottom line is that we need to shift power into the hands of people and communities, and end the reign of the 1% over our futures – Why not invest in ourselves?” Jamie Guerin, Candidate for State Treasurer, Massachusetts
MINNESOTA: Paula Overby is running for U.S. Senate. Minnesota requires 5% of the vote including at least one vote from each county for any statewide candidate for ballot status. Overby is the first openly transgender woman in the state of Minnesota to be endorsed by a recognized party.
NEW YORK: Howie Hawkins and Jia Lee are running for Governor and Lt. Governor, respectively, and must get 50,000 votes to retain ballot status for the Green Party of New York State.
OHIO: Constance Gadell-Newton and Dr. Brett Joseph are running for Governor and Lt. Governor, respectively, and need 3% of the vote to retain ballot status for the Ohio Green Party. Gadell-Newton is the only woman running for governor in Ohio.
UTAH: Adam Davis is running for Congress in the 1st District. Davis must win 2% of the total votes cast for all candidates for the United States House of Representatives in the same regular general election for the Green Party of Utah to retain ballot status.
“This year’s midterm elections are a critical opportunity to break the power of the political duopoly that has kept our nation enslaved to corporate interests and the profit of billionaires. It is imperative that we stand together as one against the one-party masquerading as a two-party system that has been selling us out. It’s time to stop electing aristocrats and start electing working class people who understand the everyday struggles that the People are going through.” Adam Davis, Candidate for Congress from the 1st District, Utah
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