Green Party Watch

Green Party candidates for US Senate Colia Clark and Cecile Lawrence both oppose hydrofracking, unlike their opponents. This video says it all.

The Green Party is running 14 13 candidates for U.S. Senate across the nation, from Arkansas to West Virginia. Midge Potts in Missouri has dropped out after failing to get the 10,000 signatures necessary to get on the ballot. Mel Packer in Pennsylvania collected over 20,000 signatures necessary to get on the ballot, which were challenged, forcing him off the ballot. This number matchesis one shy of the 2006 election when 14 candidates for US Senate were on the ballot. There are 37 US Senate elections this November (3 are special elections).

The Green Senatorial Campaign Committee, a political action committee of the Green Party of the United States, has a new website that is worth checking out. The GSCC raises money for Green Party candidates for Congress.

2010 Candidates for US Senate on the Green Party ticket

Colia Clark – New York Ms. Clark is a veteran of the civil rights movement. Her work has included activism in the fields of women’s rights and workers’ rights, as well as activism and advocacy for homeless people and youth. Most recently, she has worked with the Cynthia McKinney for President campaign with “Power to the People”. Clark is a chair of Grandmothers for the Release of Mumia Abu Jamal. During the Civil Rights era, Colia Clark was a Special Assistant to Medgar W. Evers, field Secretary for the NAACP. Clark later joined the Mississippi Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) doing voter registration work.

Cecile Lawrence – New York Ms. Lawrence is originally from Jamaica, and has been living in upstate New York for over 18 years. She has worked in college administration, non-profit administration and in college teaching. Dr. Lawrence has been active in the fight for universal health care and opposing the method of drilling for natural gas called High Volume Horizontal Hydrofracturing that threatens the health and welfare as well as the water of all of the residents of New York State. She has a PhD in Philosophy, Interpretation & Culture from Binghamton University (S.U.N.Y.) and is a graduate of the University at Buffalo (S.U.N.Y.) Law School. A resident of Tioga County, shes been a board member of local civic organizations such as the YWCA and the Southern Tier Independence Center, and is currently a member of Tioga Peace and Justice.

Natasha Pettigrew – Maryland Natasha Pettigrew was tragically killed on in September when an SUV hit her while she rode her bike in the early morning hours. The Maryland Green Party may replace her name on the ballot but otherwise she will appear on the November ballot. Pettigrew was 30 years old at the time of her death. She had taken a leave from Law School to run for US Senate, was a former Americorps volunteer, and a deeply compassionate person.

Tom Clements – South Carolina Tom Clements got a huge boost in his campaign for US Senate in South Carolina when a virtual unknown with a questionable legal history won the Democratic primary. Liberals in South Carolina are taking a second look now at Tom Clements, who is coming across as a very appealing choice. Clements worked for 13 years for Greenpeace International, and was the Executive Director of the Nuclear Control Institute in Washington DC.

Jesse Johnson – West Virginia Jesse Johnson is an outspoken activist against mountain top removal and opponent of the mining interests that run West Virginia. He was the West Virginia Mountain Party’s candidate for Governor in 2004 and US Senate in 2006, before the Mountain Party became a state affiliate of the Green Party. Johnson sought the Presidential nomination of the Green Party in 2008.

LeAlan Jones – Illinois LeAlan Jones has been speaking truth to power for 17 years about poverty, inequality and justice. In 1993 LeAlan made headlines with his NPR documentary “Ghetto Life 101“ which he made with 14 year-old Lloyd Newman and producer David Isay. He continued writing and producing work about poverty and inner city violence, was the youngest recipient of the prestigious Peabody award. LeAlan Jones has been polling between 4% and 9% and has demonstrated that he is a serious and viable candidate for Barack Obama’s Senate Seat.

John Gray – Arkansas Gray is a retired engineer and the Mayor of Greenland, Arkansas. He is a strong environmentalist and corporate critic. Last cycle Arkansas did very well in congressional races, largely due to the Republicans and Democrats opting not to run against each other. In the US Senate race in 2008 Rebekah Kennedy got over 200,000 votes for 20.56% of the vote in a head to head match up with Democrat Mark Prior. This year is far more competitive with Democrat Blanche Lincoln being challenged by Republican John Boozman and Independent Trevor Drown.

Bob Kinsey – Colorado Kinsey ran for US Senate in Colorado two years ago, getting 46,000 votes for 2.13% in a four way race. He is a Marine Corps veteran, a retired history teacher, and retired United Church of Christ clergyman with forty years of advocacy for the Just Peace theology.

Jerry Joslyn – Arizona Jerry Joslyn’s history is as a small businessman in computers and publishing. He served with both the California Air National Guard and Arizona National Guard. This is an interesting race with John McCain being challenged by a Democrat and by a strong Libertarian candidate David Nolan, former Chair of the Libertarian Party and inventor of the “Nolan Chart”. Josslyn is a great candidate as well, Iracm currently watching his live streamed debate here.

Duane Roberts – California As a community activist, Roberts has been a defender of immigrant rights, a critic of police misconduct and abuse, and has even exposed political corruption. In 2003, he helped organize what then was one of the biggest anti-war demonstrations in Orange County since the Vietnam War at the Richard Nixon Library in Yorba Linda. Roberts has been involved in many demonstrations and marches and has used his extensive knowledge of police behavior to protect the civil rights and liberties of protesters.

Candy Neville – Oregon I have not been able to verify that she is running but according to this she was nominated by the Pacific Green Party. If anyone has more information on this race please let me know. (Candy Neville is NOT a Green Party candidate for US Senate ~RKH)

Jim Brewer – Hawaii I don’t have much information about this race. If you have any, please let me know.

Jeff Russell (Write in) – Connecticut Russell is a new candidate, running as a write-in option in Connecticut. Last year Ralph Ferrucci ran for US Senate in Connecticut and won 6,387 votes for less than 1 percent.

Richard Weir (Write in) – North Carolina I’ll confess I am out of time, so I am referring you to this interview on Z Blogs with Mr. Weir. I would vote for him if I could.

Election History for US Senate

The first candidates to run for US Senate on the Green Party ticket were Linda Martin of Hawaii and Mary Jordan in Alaska, both in 1992. Martin got over 13% of the vote in a four way race, Jordan got over 8%. The following cycle Barbara Blong ran for US Senate in California and took in 140,000 votes. Four candidates run for US Senate in 1996, three more in 1998, and then ten candidates joined Ralph Nader on the ballot in 2000 as the Green Party began to really grow across the nation. Nine ran in 2002, eight in 2004, 14 in 2006, and seven in 2008.

New York Green Party gubernatorial candidate Howie Hawkins and US Senate candidate Cecile Lawrence were in Binghamton on 9/13 for the EPA’s public hearing on hydraulic fracture gas drilling, commonly known as fracking. The New York Greens have made a ban on hydrofracking, which many New Yorkers believe would put the state’s water at risk, a central campaign theme. The Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin covered the event and interviewed Hawkins and Lawrence:

Lawrence, 63, a Jamaica-born activist who resides in Apalachin, is active in the movements for health care reform, organic agriculture, renewable energy and a ban on hydrofracturing. Among the issues she discussed: she’s in favor of a single-payer, Medicare-for-all system, and wants healthier food fed to schoolchildren. read more »

In New York, the ongoing petition drive to put a Green slate of candidates for Governor, Lt. Gov., Comptroller, and US Senate on the ballot is about to ratchet up for the “Weekend of 5000 signatures”:

With about three weeks left before filing our 2010 ballot petition, we need your help to get the signatures needed to deter a challenge from those who would deprive New York voters of real choices. So we’re calling for a statewide push to collect 5000 signatures this weekend. If 50 Greens gather 100 signatures each then we can make that goal — will you be one of those Greens?

The New York Greens’ petition drive is crucial because the NYGP can regain ballot status for the next four years only by getting at least 50,000 votes for Howie Hawkins for Governor in November. Regaining ballot access in the third most-populous state would be a big victory for Greens, in New York and nationwide. The New York Green Party is running a rock-solid slate of candidates this year, including Howie Hawkins and Gloria Mattera for Governor and Lt. Gov., Colia Clark and Cecile Lawrence for US Senate, and Julia Willebrand for Comptroller.

Meanwhile, the Connecticut Greens also need some extra hands on deck:

We need two hours of your time! Rae Johnson is very close on the petition drive but we need more signatures as a buffer. It is critical that we get one hundred more signatures by next tuesday! call Rae at 860-613-0501 if you can spare just a little time this weekend!

Dave Olszta also needs your help in Milford. In the middle of his petitioning as a Green for a state rep seat in the Devon section of Milford (Jim Amann’s old district), his mother died. He would appreciate any help anyone can give him in the next few days. His email address is: daveolszta [at] earthlink [dot] net; and his phone number is: 203-407-9124.

If you know of other places where Greens need help gathering signatures to get on the ballot (or raising money to get on the ballot, as with Jesse Johnson in WV last week) please let us know in the comments.

WASHINGTON, DC — Green Party leaders and candidates are urging Congress to pass House Resolution 301 to remove US forces from Pakistan.  The privileged resolution was introduced by Reps. Dennis Kucinich (D-Oh.) and Ron Paul (R-Tex.), who said that President Obama’s plans for an increase of US troops in Pakistan violate the 1973 War Powers Authorization (http://www.commondreams.org/newswire/2010/07/23-7).

The Green Party supports an end to the US war on Afghanistan, which the Obama Administration has escalated by deploying more troops and ordering air attacks across the border in Pakistan.  The party opposes the current war escalation supplemental bill and all proposals to increase war funding. read more »

Channel 34 in Binghamton reports that Broome County Peace Action has endorsed the New York Green Party’s Howie Hawkins for Governor and Cecile Lawrence for US Senate:

Following a presentation by Cecile Lawrence, Green Party candidate for U.S, Senate, Broome County Peace Action voted to endorse her candidacy and that of Howie Hawkins, Green Party candidate for NYS Governor. It also urged its members to sign a petition being circulated which, if sufficient signatures are gained, would put the Green Party on the ballot in November. During her presentation, Dr. Lawrence stressed the following:

Top four issues of concern: read more »

From the Green Party of New York State:

Petitioning for our statewide slate starts on Tuesday, July 6 and goes until Friday, August 13. We need to get 30,000 signatures over the course of six weeks in order to succeed in placing the slate, including our gubernatorial candidate, Howie Hawkins, on the ballot – the first step towards getting the 50,000 votes we need in order to get our permanent ballot line back.

We need your help to do this. The load is always lighter when many help carry it – and your 25, 50, 100, 500 signatures collected from friends and community members will help us move that much closer to the ballot line.

You can download the petition from the state web site at or click here. The petitioning guidelines download is here. read more »

From the Green Party of New York State facebook page:

It’s our mission to provide a progressive Green alternative to the corporate agenda of the Democrats and Republicans, and build support for a different world. To that end, we have nominated an exciting slate of candidates for statewide office, including Howie Hawkins for Governor, Gloria Mattera for Lt. Governor, Colia Clark and Cecile Lawrence for US Senate, and Julia Willebrand for Comptroller.

This is the time to regain our ballot status — to do that we need 50,000 votes for Governor. It’s the perfect year, with voters across New York fed up with the corruption in Albany and the pro-corporate bailout, pro-war agenda in DC. They ache to see candidates stand strong for peace, renewable energy, sustainable agriculture, single payer-universal health care, and an aggressive program to create living wage jobs.

The first step is to get on the ballot, which means 30,000 signatures from NY State registered voters. Of that 30,000 we need at least 100 signatures from half of the congressional districts across the state. read more »

Speaking at the 2010 Green Party Annual National Meeting, Cecile Lawrence is the Green Party of New York candidate for U.S. Senate.

More:
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New York Green Party gubernatorial candidate Howie Hawkins and US Senate candidates Colia Clark and Cecile Lawrence have released the following statement:

Green Party candidates for statewide office in NYC, including Gubernatorial candidate Howie Hawkins and Cecile Lawrence and Colia Clark for US Senate, joined today in the growing call for President Obama to seize British Petroleum’s assets and to initiate criminal prosecution of BP and its leaders. The assets seized should at least be in an amount commensurate with the damage caused by their criminal negligence, and the funds should be placed into a trust that could quickly and easily pay for damages and compensation now and into the future as more damages accrue.

The Greens also said that the nation’s largest environmental disaster underscores the need to ban the hydrofracking for natural gas deposits in order to protect the state’s water supplies and public health.

Hawkins, who participated in the Seize BP demonstration in Syracuse last Friday, June 11, said “It is imperative that the US government seize BP’s assets to insure they are used to pay for damages and clean-up from the oil blowout before BP’s executives and owners cash out and leave the taxpayers holding the bag. It is equally imperative that the trustees of the fund to administer the use of BP’s seized assets represent the people affected and include Gulf Coast representatives of the workers, unions, and small businesses of the fishing, shrimping, crabbing, tourism, and recreation industries, local elected officials, and independent scientists and environmentalists.” read more »

James Lane at All New York News reports:

The Green Party of New York State kicked off its 2010 statewide campaign by evoking the legacy of Eleanor Roosevelt by calling for a “Big Green New Deal” that emphasizes human rights, living wage jobs for all, single payer health care, immigration reform, peace, and the right to education.

US Senate candidates Colia Clark and Dr. Cecile Lawrence joined with state comptroller candidate Dr. Julia Willebrand and Lt. Governor candidate Gloria Mattera to officially announce their campaigns in front of the Eleanor Roosevelt Monument in Manhattan. They were accompanied by Green Party gubernatorial nominee Howie Hawkins, who officially launched his campaign in early May.

The candidates talked about the need to speak for the average New Yorker, just as Eleanor Roosevelt did on behalf of her disabled husband by traveling across the country to meet with everyday Americans during the Great Depression. read more »

From Independent Political Report:

-Clark, Lawrence, Willebrand, and Mattera to Hold News Conference on Sun. June 6th at 1 PM AM to Launch Campaign for US Senate, Comptroller and Lt. Governor

-Event at Eleanor Roosevel Monument at W. 72nd St and Riverside Drive (NY) to highlight women candidates, need for a Green New Deal

The Green Party of New York State will hold a news conference at the Eleanor Roosevelt monument on Sunday, June 6th at 1 PM to announce its statewide slate of women candidates: Colia Clark and Cecile Lawrence for US Senate; Julia Willebrand for State Comptroller; and Gloria Mattera for Lt. Governor.

Howie, Hawkins, the Green Party nominee for Governor, will also participate.

The candidates will talk about opposition to war, support for immigrants, and the need for a Green New Deal to respond to the economic depression, the growing attacks on workers, and the climate, energy, and environmental crises.. The Greens will also highlight their opposition to hydrofracking of natural gas deposits. read more »

Channel 34 in Binghamton has a detailed profile of candidates nominated for statewide office at the New York Green Party’s convention, including Colia Clark and Cecile Lawrence for US Senate, Gloria Mattera for Lt. Governor as Howie Hawkins‘ running mate, and Julia Willebrand for Comptroller:

The Green Party state convention in Albany last weekend nominated a full slate of candidates for statewide office in New York this November.

Gloria Mattera, a long time peace activist from Brooklyn was nominated to run for Lt. Governor on a ticket with Syracuse labor activist Howie Hawkins (www.howiehawkins.org). Colia Clark was nominated to run for the US Senate seat presently held by Chuck Schumer, while Cecile Lawrence was picked to fill out the Senate seat previously held by Hillary Clinton. Julia Willebrand, a long time environmental activist from Manhattan who received more than 117,000 votes for Comptroller four years ago, was chosen to run for that seat again.

Video of the nominating speeches of the candidates are at www.gpnys.org.

At the national level, the Green Party has opposed from the start the US wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and supports the immediate withdrawal of American troops. It advocates for a massive cut in the military budget to free up funds to help local and state governments resolve their budget crisis and to invest in domestic programs such as child nutrition, renewable energy, education, affordable housing and job creation. The Greens opposed the recent Democratic health insurance mandate bill as a huge public subsidy for private health insurance companies and continue to call to make health care a right through a single payer expanded and improved Medicare for All type program. The Greens have long called for an end to the war on drugs and to curtail the prison industrial complex that now imprisons more than 2 million Americas, overwhelmingly low-income individuals and people of color.

Colia Clark is a veteran of the civil rights movement. Her work has included activism in the fields of women’s rights and workers’ rights, as well as activism and advocacy for homeless people and youth. Most recently, she has worked with the Cynthia McKinney for President campaign with “Power to the People”. Clark is a chair of Grandmothers for the Release of Mumia Abu Jamal. read more »

WASHINGTON, DC — Green Party leaders responded today to the Dalai Lama’s statement on Thursday that the US has no Green Party, but he would join if one were started.

“We’d be thrilled to welcome the Dalai Lama as an honorary member of the Green Party,” said Farheen Hakeem, co-chair of the Green Party of the United States.

Speaking in Radio City Music Hall in New York City on Thursday, May 20, the Dalai Lama said, “America still, no Green Party.  But, actually you should start one.  Then, I may join.”

“We’re honored that the Dalai Lama said he’d be willing to join us.  In the context of his speech at Radio City, he clearly recognized that the Green Party is the party of nonviolence, ecology, human rights and freedoms, and basic values of social justice and economic fairness.  These values include democracy and self-determination for people around the world, including Tibetans,” said Mike Feinstein, co-chair of the Green Party of the United States.

“The Dalai Lama apparently doesn’t know that we have a growing Green Party here in the United States.  And perhaps for some good reasons, such as the media’s tendency to limit political coverage to the narrow choice between Democrat and Republican.  Or because of the prohibitive and antidemocratic ballot access rules enacted in many states to hinder third parties and third party candidates,” Mr. Feinstein added.

The Dalai Lama delivered his speech in New York, where Green candidate Howie Hawkins was nominated for Governor by the Green Party of New York State on May 15, along with a slate of other candidates for statewide office (http://www.gp.org/press/pr-national.php?ID=316).

“The Dalai Lama is a shining example of nonviolence, compassion, and recognition of the need of humanity to evolve and change towards a new direction as we all potentially face the abyss.  He, as representative of his people, forgives attack and truly turns the other cheek.  He has encouraged cooperation and collaboration on many fronts, including between the medicines of the East and West.  He is the type of person we need more of right now,” said Cecile Lawrence, New York Green nominee for the US Senate.  Dr. Lawrence witnessed the Dalai Lama speak at Constitutional Hall in Washington, DC, at an international conference on Tibetan medicine.

The Dalai Lama’s comments were made in a month of Green Party advancements around the world (http://www.gp.org/press/pr-national.php?ID=315). read more »

The New York Green Party will hold a virtual phone bank on Sunday 23 May to raise money and support for the GPNY 2010 slate of candidates, including Howie Hawkins for Governor, Gloria Mattera for Lieutenant Governor, Julia Willebrand for Comptroller, and Colia Clark and Cecile Lawrence for US Senate. Details:

Join Greens from around New York State as we make phone calls from wherever we are, to Greens and Green supporters to raise money for our 2010 candidates. Some small groups will gather at peoples’ homes, and all will be joined via live chat and the web.

To get involved, email Karen Young at karenyoung521 [at] yahoo [dot] com.