WORD VIRUS: Green Party advances in state and local races on Election Day 2012

GREEN PARTY OF THE UNITED STATES

http://www.gp.org

For Immediate Release:
Thursday, November 8, 2012

Contacts:
Scott McLarty, Media Coordinator, 202-904-7614, mclarty@greens.org
Starlene Rankin, Media Coordinator, 916-995-3805, starlene@gp.org

Greens congratulate and thank national nominees Jill Stein and Cheri Honkala for a campaign that "pushed Green presidential campaigns up to a new level of sophistication, organization, and media attention" with highest numbers since 2000

List of Green victors and noteworthy campaigns

Greens praise passage of state measures for same-sex marriage and relaxed marijuana laws

WASHINGTON, DC -- The Green Party made several advances in state, county, and local races, with a new legislator in Arkansas and several new city councilors.

"We congratulate our winners and we thank all of our candidates for running strong Green campaigns, from our presidential ticket to our state and local contenders," said Budd Dickinson, secretary of the Green Party of the United States.

At least 312 Greens ran for public office in 2012, with at least 20 victories on Nov. 6. In total, 381,225 votes were cast across the U.S. for Green candidates running for the House of Representatives. Another 205,739 votes were cast for Green U.S. Senate candidates. A list of Green victors and candidates achieving noteworthy percentages in state and local races (reported as of Thursday afternoon) is appended below.

PRESIDENTIAL RACE

Jill Stein and Cheri Honkala, the Green Party presidential and vice-presidential nominees, drew 396,684 votes, or 0.3% of the national total.

"While we wish Jill Stein and Cheri Honkala drew a larger percentage, we know that their numbers were a result of the tight race between President Obama and Gov. Romney, which the media declared neck-and-neck in polls up until Election Day. The Stein-Honkala campaign team, led by campaign manager Ben Manski, did an outstanding job and pushed our presidential campaigns up to a new level of sophistication, organization, and media attention. Dr. Stein and Ms. Honkala were on 85% of ballots across the U.S. and they qualified for matching funds from the FEC," said AJ Segneri, co-chair of the Green Party of the United States.

"Dr. Stein's performance in several presidential debates -- excluding the Obama-Romney confrontations, from which she was barred -- was consistently outstanding. We're certain that if more Americans had seen these debates, Dr. Stein would have received many more votes," said Mr. Segneri.

Dr. Stein's and Ms. Honkala's numbers are more than twice the total of votes that Green nominees Cynthia McKinney and Rosa Clemente drew in 2008 (161,195) and three times the total of votes that the Green Partyâ€™s David Cobb and Pat LaMarche drew in 2004 (119,859). The 2008 numbers were a 59% increase in the popular vote over 2004, and the 2012 numbers show a 146% increase in the popular vote over 2008.

See Mr. Manski's post-election message to Stein/Honkala supporters: http://www.gp.org/2013/index.php

"Thank You" statements from Green candidates: http://www.gp.org/candidates/Thank-You-Statements.php

Jill Stein For President web site: http://www.jillstein.org

MORE ELECTION NEWS

Fred Smith -- a former Harlem Globetrotter -- ran unopposed for Arkansas State Representative (District 50: Crawfordsville) after a court ordered the votes of the Democrat to not be counted and is now a Green state legislator. (See http://www.greenpartywatch.org/2012/11/07/fred-smith-elected-to-arkansas-state-house-on-green-party-ticket/ and http://offthedribble.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/11/07/a-former-globetrotter-wins-election-by-globetrotter-like-margin/)

Connecticut Greens are reporting that some poll officials in their state "told voters they could not write in candidates for President or/and that their write-in vote would not be counted" when they tried to enter a write-in vote for Jill Stein, as well as two-hour waits to vote (http://www.gp.org/press/pr-state.php?ID=568). Connecticut Green Party leader Tim McKee said that "when he asked a New Britain voting official to see the State's list of approved write-in candidates, at first they refused, and then they threatened him with arrest. The list was finally produced but did not list the party affiliation of Jill Stein, the Green Party candidate for President."

Ursula Rozum, Green candidate for the U.S. House in New York (District 24: Syracuse), managed to hold on to 8% (third place) in a three way race for Congress that was one of the most intensely contested in the country. (See http://www.9wsyr.com/political/story/Rozum-Green-Party-will-continue-to-gain-momentum/CQzKiIo7DUylTG1AXKm73Q.cspx)

The DC Statehood Green Party remains Washington DC's "Second Party" in numbers of votes received in partisan races, with a total of 81,705 votes compared to 63,693 votes cast for Republican candidates. In all D.C. races, Democrats placed first (see http://www.voteresults.org/default1112.asp).

Among this election's candidates was veteran political activist Bob Auerbach, who ran for the U.S. House in Maryland (District 5) at the age of 91 -- the oldest Green candidate ever.

The states with the greatest number of Green candidates was Texas: at least 41. California Greens won seven races out of 22 on November 6 and 14 out of 40 in from August to November, with seven victories in 18 races for Neighborhood Council in Los Angeles (http://www.cagreens.org/elections/2012-november).

Greens praised the passage on Tuesday of ballot measures for same-sex marriage rights in Maine and Maryland, measures in Colorado and Washington allowing marijuana use by adults, and a medical marijuana referendum in Massachusetts. The Maryland Green Party was a member of the Marylanders for Marriage Equality coalition, the main group working in support of Question 6.

Green Party leaders hoped that the White House, which stepped up raids on medical marijuana facilities during President Obama's first term, would not target these states or citizens within these states for using marijuana.

GREEN VICTORIES

For more details about all candidates, see http://www.gp.org/elections/candidates/index.php and Green Party Watch http://www.greenpartywatch.org

ARKANSAS: Fred Smith ran unopposed for State Representative District 50 (Crawfordsville) after a court ordered the votes of the Democrat to not be counted (partisan race)
ARKANSAS: Alvin Clay for Mississippi County Justice of the Peace, District 6, 53% (partisan race)
ARKANSAS: Kade Holliday for Craighead County Clerk, 62% (partisan)
CALIFORNIA: Bruce Delgado for Mayor of Marina (Monterey County) 62.58% (incumbent; nonpartisan)
CALIFORNIA: Phyllis T. Greenleaf for Trustee, Board of Education, Live Oak Elementary School District (Santa Cruz County), 2nd of 3 candidates for two seats, 33.5% (nonpartisan)
CALIFORNIA: Kimberly Ann Petersen for Trustee, Board of Education, Geyserville Unified School District (Sonoma County), not on ballot, declared elected because the race was not contested (nonpartisan)
CALIFORNIA: Karen L. Pickett for Board Member, Canyon Elementary School District (Contra Costa County), not on ballot, declared elected because the race was not contested (incumbent, nonpartisan)
CALIFORNIA: Randy Marx for Director, Fair Oaks Water District, Division 4 (Sacramento County), 1st of 2 candidates for one seat with 57.01% (incumbent, nonpartisan)
CALIFORNIA: Kaitlin Sopoci-Belknap for Water Board, Eureka (Humboldt County, California), not on ballot, declared elected because the race was not contested (incumbent, nonpartisan)
CALIFORNIA: John Abraham "Abe" Powell for Director, Montecito Fire Protection District (Santa Barbara County), 1st of 8 candidates for four seats with 15.65% (nonpartisan)
COLORADO: Art Goodtimes for San Miguel County Commissioner (District 3), 42% (fifth-term incumbent; partisan; see http://telluridenews.com/articles/2012/11/07/norwood_post/news/doc509a06cc3e8a4010237838.txt)
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA: Renee Bowser for Advisory Neighborhood Commission District 4D02, unopposed (non-partisan)
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA: Joyce Robinson-Paul for Advisory Neighborhood Commission District 5E05, with 51.08% (nonpartisan)
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA: Carolyn Steptoe for Advisory Neighborhood Commission District 5B04, 1st of 3 candidates with 53.6% (nonpartisan)
MAINE: Kevin J Donoghue for Portland City Councilor (District 1), 62.74% (incumbent; nonpartisan)
MAINE: David A. Marshall for Portland City Councilor (District 2), 73.39% (incumbent; nonpartisan)
MAINE: Holly N. Seeliger, for Portland School Committee (District 2), 59.25% (nonpartisan)
MICHIGAN: Korine Bachleda for Newberg Township Clerk in Cass County, 100% (incumbent; partisan)
MINNESOTA: Laura Libby for City Council in Crystal, percentage TBA (nonpartisan)
MINNESOTA: John Matheson for City Council in Hilltop, percentage TBA (nonpartisan)

UNELECTED, RECEIVING MORE THAN 20%

COLORADO: Karyna Lemus, El Paso County Commissioner, District 2, 22.4% (partisan)
HAWAII: Keiko Bonk for State Representative, 29% (partisan; contested -- see http://hawaii.news.blogs.civilbeat.com/post/35193098406/10-14-p-m-green-party-paper-ballot-issues-derailed)
MAINE: Thomas Kelley for Portland School Committee, District 1, 42.30% (nonpartisan)
MAINE: Seth Burner for Portland State House, District 115, 35% (nonpartisan)
MICHIGAN: Tom Mair for Grand Traverse County County Commissioner, District 2, 33.87% (partisan)
MAINE: Fred Horch, for State House, District 66, 32.5% (partisan)
MAINE: Asher Platts for State Senate, District 8, 29.09% (partisan)
MAINE: Thomas MacMillan for State House, District 118, 27.40% (partisan)
MICHIGAN: Josef Connolly for Grand Traverse County Commissioner, District 3, 22.87% (partisan)
TENNESSEE: Susan Shann for House District 55, 22.66% (partisan)
WASHINGTON: Howard Pellett for State Representative, Legislative District 40, Position 2, 23.24% (partisan)

UNELECTED, RECEIVING BETWEEN 10% AND 20%

ARKANSAS: Travis Mason for State Representative, District 45, 17% (partisan)
ARKANSAS: Rebekah Kennedy for U.S. House, District 3, 16% (partisan)
ARKANSAS: Beryl Baker for Constable, Justice Precinct 4, Pima County, 18.09% (partisan)
CALIFORNIA: Marilyn Langlois for Richmond City Council, 11.24% (nonpartisan)
CALIFORNIA: Randy Menjivar for Oakland Community College Board, 10.66% (nonpartisan)
COLORADO: Steven Schecter for Gunnison County Commissioner, District 1, 1,553 votes (partisan)
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA: David Schwartzman for DC "Shadow" U.S. Senator, with 10.62% (partisan)
MAINE: Justine Lynn, for State House in Portland, District 120, 14.53% (partisan)
MAINE: Michael Wakefield, for State House, District 102, 13% (partisan)
MICHIGAN: John Anthony La Pietra for Calhoun County County Clerk & Register of Deeds, 19.97% (partisan)
NEW YORK: Mike Donnelly for State Senate, District 50 Onondaga/Cayuga, 14% (partisan)
NEW YORK: Drew Langdon for State Assembly, District 137 Rochester, 12.19% (partisan)
TENNESSEE: Calvin Cassady for House District 15, 17.78% (partisan)
TENNESSEE: Bryan Moneyhun for House District 16, 15.25% (partisan)
TEXAS: Angela Sarlay for State Representative, District 113, 19.03% (partisan)
TEXAS: Leanne Lamb-Vines for State Representative District 84, 17.41% (partisan)
TEXAS: Herb Gonzales, Jr. for State Representative, District 124, 15.04% (partisan)
TEXAS: Henry Cooper for State Representative, District 148 in Texas, 14.06% (partisan)
TEXAS: Chuck Robinson for State Representative, District 123, 12.48% (partisan)
TEXAS: Michael Joseph Spanos for State Representative, District 102, 12.08% (partisan)
TEXAS: Gregory Fox finished for State Representative, District 120, 12.08% (partisan)
TEXAS: Matthew Britt for State Representative, District 61, 11.10% (partisan)
VIRGINIA: Audrey Clement for Arlington County Board, 12.39% (partisan)