OntheWilderSide

First of all, we’ve got to say thanks. A huge debt of gratitude goes out to everyone who worked at the polls, knocked on doors, made phone calls, attended rallies, wrote letters and otherwise supported Green candidates. Never before has the Green Party run such a number of well-organized, high-profile campaigns at all levels across the country. Thanks especially to everyone who ran for office. To those who won, congratulations! To those who didn’t, put what you’ve learned on the campaign trail into practice; help build a strong Green Party in your community and run for office again!Greens have a lot to be proud of today. The Illinois Green Party’s gubernatorial candidate Rich Whitney won 11% of the vote. Illinois voters have not voted for a third party candidate in such numbers since 1920. This is an historic moment. The Green Party is now a legally established, statewide political party in Illinois. Membership in the Illinois Green Party has exploded as a result of the campaign.

Congratulations to Gayle McLaughlin, the new mayor of Richmond, CA. Gayle, who refused corporate donations, raised about $14,000. She was outspent by the incumbent, who raised more than $110,000 from big contributors, the biggest of which was Chevron. Gayle first won office 2 years ago when she ran for Richmond City Council. Greens won an additional 17 races in California. For complete up to the minute results nation wide go here: http://www.greens.org/elections/.

Gayle marching in the annual Richmond Juneteenth parade on June 17, 2006.

In the nation’s capitol, the DC Statehood Green Party won eight races, all were elected as Advisory neighborhood commissioners.  Joyce Robinson-Paul, running for “shadow” Senate won 14% of the vote, the highest for a Statehood Green in this election cycle. In addition to building a bench of qualified Statehood Green politicians, the Statehood Greens emerged as DC’s second party in terms of electoral participation, replacing the Republicans. This was the largest slate Statehood Greens ever ran, with 18 candidates.

In Maricopa County, Arizona, Tom Doran (the first elected Green in the Phoenix area)won a seat on the Riverside School Board. Arizona Greens began their 2008 ballot access petition drive today by distributing formal petitions to circulators. Arizona will require a minimum of approximately 16500 valid signatures to establish ballot status and will need to get at least 5% of the vote for the Green Presidential candidate in 2008 to retain that status.

Green candidate Tom Kelly, running for the U.S. House in Colorado’s District 1, has received 25,096 votes for 21%. This is the highest percentage for a Green running for Congress this year.

8.7 million voters across the U.S. voted for withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq and for impeachment resolutions on local and state ballots that were promoted or supported by Greens. Troop withdrawal initiatives won in all ten localities in Wisconsin, including Milwaukee, and all 11 communities in Illinois, including Chicago. Of 139 cities and towns in Massachusetts voting on the troop withdrawal measures, only a handful voted nay on initiatives demanding that Congress and the White House end the war immediately. In California, San Francisco voters supported a local impeachment measure by 59.41%. In Berkeley, a similar resolution won the support of 68.56% of the electorate. Greens supported and led the initiative campaigns; in April, 24 of 32 communities voted in support of the ‘Troops Home Now’ resolutions that were promoted by Greens.

We accomplished a lot. But we have a lot more to do. The American public voted against the war and they deserve more than rhetoric. We need a plan to bring our troops home. The American public voted against corrupt corporate driven politics as usual. They deserve clean elections and elected officials who represent them, not corporate lobbyists. Americans deserve the guarantee of a living wage, not a .75 increase to the minimum wage. Americans deserve national healthcare coverage, quality public education, and renewable energy. We must be the change we want to see. Go Greens!

Filed under: Anti-War, Green Party Websites, international politics, Peace, Political Websites, Press Release, reform, US Politics Tagged: | Working Families Party