Green Party Watch

All one needs do is take a look at the dozens of Greens running all across Illinois to understand just how valuable a seriously run Gubernatorial campaign can be. Not only did Rich Whitney’s campaign for Governor bring in enough votes to secure a place on the ballot without ongoing petitioning, but it was so successful that it helped bring those dozens of Greens to the table to lead the charge this fall for change in Illinois.

One of these candidates is Jason Wallace of Normal IL, who has announced that he plans to run his race with a planned maximum of $10,000 to spend in his race. The 25 year old Wallace has set up a page at his site which includes links to several newspaper stories about his campaign, which can be found by clicking here. Take a look at Jason’s New Menu site and you’ll see the legacy of Whitney’s campaign. You’ll see a list of candidates as long as your arm on the left hand side of the page.

The Peoria Evening Star reports on the Green Party’s campaigns, and repeats the mantra that Greens and independents face almost insurmountable odds. Might seem like a normal thing to say, but in truth, even when the Democrats or Republicans are in a race they know they can’t win, the media almost never calls it a “long shot”. Those sorts of statements have the effect of making us seem like losers before the first ballot is cast or the first debate held.

Of course, the Democrats can’t be expected to just campaign for votes, not if there is some way to get competition kicked off the ballot, and yes indeed, that’s exactly what the Democrats did. In this article at the Herald Review, details of Democratic Party efforts to remove four Greens from their congressional races in November. Scott Summers, a Congressional candidate from Illinois’ 16th District, served as the ILGP’s attorney. I have a call into his campaign in hopes of finding out if there are any changes in that case.