Candidates in Arizona, New York, Massachusetts
July 6, 2011 in Local Elections, State Party News
Green Party Watch had to take some time off, but we are back and playing catch up on some great stories out there.
Arizona
In Tucson Arizona, Democrat Jonathan Rothschild has no Democrats or Republicans running against him for Mayor because “…those potential candidates either got bounced from the ballot or withdrew from the race for mayor in the face of challenges to signatures on their nominating petitions.” according to Inside Tucson Business. There is the minor technicality of two Greens facing off in an August 30 Primary, with the winner facing Mr. Rothschild in November:
At this point Rothschild’s only challenge is going to come from a Green Party candidate, which also has the only primary race, between Dave Croteau and Mary DeKamp. But fewer than 1 percent of voters are registered in the Green Party so it would quite the feat if either were to make a serious challenge in the November election.
Here is another article about the Green Party primary from the Tucson Citizen:
Her entry into the race could lead to a Green Party primary on August 30, as fellow Green Party candidate Dave Croteau entered the race a few weeks ago. He ran for Mayor before in 2007 against Mayor Bob Walkup and got 28.08% of the vote compared to Mayor Walkup’s 71.20 %. There are 636 registered Greens in the City of Tucson. (Another Green candidate Jon McLean entered this race for a few months but withdrew in May due to problems with his voter registration, and endorsed Republican Shaun McClusky.)
New York
In Rochester, New York, Alex White has announced he will seek a seat on the City Council after his failed bid for Mayor in March where he picked up 9% of the vote.
Massachusetts
In 2010 Mark Miller picked up 45% of the vote in a two way race for a State Legislative seat representing the 3rd Berkshire District. The Democrat that beat him has been appointed to a higher position, and Miller is back in the race for a special election to fill the vacancy. Miller will be running on the Green Rainbow Party ticket.
Miller, a former editor and co-owner of The Berkshire Eagle and a longtime former Democrat, joined the Green-Rainbow Party after becoming frustrated with the resistance to reform evidenced by Democratic Party leadership on Beacon Hill. Most observers were surprised by his strong showing in the 2010 race, considering the fact that it was his first run for public office and he entered the race rather late against a well-entrenched incumbent. This time around, Miller believes that an earlier start and an experienced campaign team will give him an excellent chance of winning.
carol wells said on July 6, 2011
I was just skimming the rss headlines on the side of the column. It seems one green in Ark. switched sides.
I have been posting about the Greens for a little while now. I really sincerely feel that we need another forward thinking progressive party to break the republicans. I had wondered if, to cause credibility issues with the Greens, some unscrupulous people would pull something like that. I would hope that the Greens vete their people closely.
Eddie said on July 7, 2011
About time we saw some updates on here. I was beginning to wonder what happened to all the activity.
Jack said on July 8, 2011
@Carol –
The progressive candidate to “break the republicans” is former “libertarian” candidate Ron Paul. Anti-War, Anti-Drug War, Anti-Death Penalty, Anti-Corporate Welfare. He is the best hope for “breaking the republicans” – Bob Barr, the 2008 Libertarian Party Candidate is a former Republican who became a Libertarian after loosing his congressional seat when the district Libertarian Candidate pulled enough votes to help the Democrat win (spoiler!). Bob Barr’s nomination represents the inability for the Libertarian Party to take the place of the Republican Party, while Ron Paul’s successful growth within the Republican Party shows us that the “Reformation of the Right” is occurring through his campaign.
This leaves the Green Party to continue to move forward (“Reformation of the Left”), fearing no set-back, and attract more and more “progressive-Democrats” away. This, in combination with a Ron Paul nomination, will put enough pressure on the system to move it “forward” without giving the “Establishment” a clear target, and without putting the entire responsibility of advancing the “revolution” on any one person or party.
Please read my endorsement articles for Paul for President and Green Party for Congress in 2012. I created a mini-irl to link to it: http://rp12gp.us
The idea is to balance both the responsibility and the support. Both Left and Right need to be reformed so we can begin to create an “Upward Political Shift” where we merge both “progressive” and “libertarian” thought into a “Permaculture/Jeet Kune Do-esk” Political Orientation.
Also, check out my “2012 Enlightenment Theory Article”: http://freeindependentsun.com/zen/2012-enlightenment-theory-a-world-of-abundance-and-self-governance/
Jack Wagner said on August 2, 2011
Just posted this article on how to help the Greens win in Tuscon (and everywhere else):
http://freeindependentsun.com/republic/how-the-green-party-can-win-the-tuscon-mayor-race-and-prepare-for-2012/
Tom said on August 5, 2011
Jack (not Jack Wagner),
Endorsing Ron Paul is the worst idea I have heard in a long time. He doesn’t even believe in man-made climate change! He is anti-choice! Come on now. He is far, far, far from progressive. He is regressive in many ways that make Pat Buchanan seem progressive at times as well.