Illinois Green Party US Senate candidate LeAlan Jones recently sent this message to supporters:
| We are so close to the debates, we can feel it.
The latest poll puts LeAlan Jones at 9%. He needs 10% to get into the ABC 7 debate and blow this whole race wide open. Can you help LeAlan make it to 10%? All it takes is 1%. read more » |
Pennsylvania Green Party candidate for US House in PA’s 14th District Ed Bortz has been very active recently. On September 13th, Bortz spoke out against hydrofracking at a Pittsburgh City Council meeting, which earned him a mention in at least one news outlet.
Bortz has received the endorsement of the Gertrude Stein Political Club of Greater Pittsburgh for his strong advocacy of the rights of people in the GLBT community.
He is also one of several Green candidates who have signed onto the Fight Washington Corruption pledge, including Ben Emery (CA-4), John Gray (AR-Sen), LeAlan Jones (IL-Sen), Bob Kinsey (CO-Sen), Simon Ribeiro (IL-9), Steven Welzer (NJ-4), and Julia Williams (MI-12). Candidates who sign the pledge support overturning the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision allowing unlimited corporate spending on elections, passing the Fair Elections Now Act to establish option public campaign financing for congressional races, and enacting measures to limit the influence of corporate lobbyists.
The latest Rasmussen Poll on the US Senate race in Illinois includes Green Party candidate LeAlan Jones and puts him at 9%:
With leaners added in, Kirk picks up 41% of the vote, while Giannoulias earns 37% support. Green Party candidate LeAlan Jones, included for the first time in a Rasmussen Reports survey of the race, earns nine percent (9%). Five percent (5%) prefer another candidate in the race, and another nine percent (9%) are undecided.
[...]
Twenty-six percent (26%) have a favorable opinion of Jones, an African-American journalist, while 30% regard him unfavorably. But 44% don’t know enough about the Green Party candidate to venture any opinion of him.
According to prevailing thought, Jones needs 10% polling to be included in the US Senate debates being organized this fall.
This blog post blasts Kirk for shutting Jones out of the Illinois Debates.
But what of Democrat Giannoulias?
(ht: DK)
The New York Times on Friday has a profile piece on US Senate candidate LeAlan Jones, A Candidate Takes an Unlikely Green Path:
As a boy growing up in the long shadow of the Ida B. Wells public housing development, LeAlan Jones, the Illinois Green Party candidate for the United States Senate, learned at an early age to ignore naysayers.
“If you come from the ghetto, people are always doubting you,” Mr. Jones said. “I never listened to them. I was too busy.”
So go ahead and tell him the political facts of life: that he is wasting his time and has a scant shot at winning President’s Obama’s old Senate seat in November.
read more »
Amazing interview with Illinois Green Party candidate for US Senate LeAlan Jones on Fox News Chicago.
Spread the word… the Illinois Green Party convention is going to stream live around the world this weekend!
We’re having our annual convention at Chicago’s Loyola University.. The live webcast will feature platform discussions, forums on Move to Amend, Single-Payer Health Care and the Re-localization Movement, and speeches by many of our candidates.
The highlight of the weekend will be a pair of keynote speeches by Rich Whitney, candidate for Governor who is currently polling at 9%, and LeAlan Jones, candidate for US Senate who is polling at 14%.
The live webcast will be available on ilgp.org. Live webcast schedule is below. Highlights will be played in between the live events. read more »
Illinois Green Party US Senate candidate LeAlan Jones will host a party and fundraiser at the Shrine in Chicago on Sunday 1 August. Jones will give a keynote address during the event. Details on facebook.
This weekend two of the more successful State Green Parties are holding state conventions: The Illinois Green Party and the Green Party of Michigan.
At Loyola University’s Lake Shore Campus in Chicago the Illinois Green Party have organized three days of workshops and events beginning Friday July 30 and concluding Sunday August 1. A number of Illinois Green candidates will be speaking, highlighted by keynote addresses by gubernatorial candidate Rich Whitney and US Senate candidate LeAlan Jones.
Click here for more information.
The Green Party of Michigan is holding their State Membership Meeting and Nominating Convention in Lansing, MI, where candidates for local, county, state and federal offices will be nominated for the fall election. The Convention is both Saturday July 31 and Sunday Aug. 1 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The State Journal-Register has an article asking if Illinois Green Party candidates like Rich Whitney and LeAlan Jones can lead the Greens to electoral success in spite of entrenched party politics:
With a Republican governor already in prison, a Democratic governor possibly headed there and no shortage of missteps by the major-party candidates for governor and U.S. Senate, Illinois seems ripe for an alternative.
Rich Whitney, the Green Party candidate for governor who got 10 percent of the vote four years ago, thinks he could be it.
The Illinois Green Party has been getting a lot of attention after recent polls showed Green gubernatorial candidate Rich Whitney at 9% and US Senate candidate LeAlan Jones at 14%. Here are some of the stories featuring Illinois Greens in the past week:
Talking Points Memo: Green Party IL-SEN Candidate: I Could Win This Thing
NBC Chicago: Why the Green Party’s Even More Annoying (and Effective) This Year
The Southern: Whitney: Debates Should Be Inclusive
Firedoglake: With 4 major candidates in the US Senate and Governor races in Illinois, is a Green victory within reach?
LeAlan Jones’ campaign has a new facebook page, Friends of LeAlan M. Jones.
Below are emails sent to supporters by LeAlan Jones and Rich Whitney on 6/24 in which the candidates react to their growing momentum: read more »
Illinois Green Party US Senate candidate LeAlan Jones and gubernatorial candidate Rich Whitney have generated considerable buzz after two polls from Public Policy Polling showed Jones at 14% and Whitney with 9%, while their Democratic and Republican opponents hover in the low 30s. Here are some of the notable stories that have come out about LeAlan Jones and Rich Whitney this week:
The Huffington Post: LeAlan Jones, Illinois Green Party Senate Candidate, Sees Spike in Poll Numbers Following Mark Kirk Scandal
ABC Chicago: More candidates enter Ill. Senate race
NBC Chicago: From “Ghetto Life 101″ to Senator? An Interview With LeAlan Jones
Washington Post: The Illinois Green Party: Blago’s final revenge
WSIU NPR: Green Party Gubernatorial Candidate Says New Poll Shows Growing Support
Ellen’s IL 10th CD blog: Bill Hillsman is coming to Illinois politics to help Rich Whitney, Green Party Candidate for Governor
Firedoglake: Support for third parties – mostly the Greens – continues to grow around the country
To continue building upward momentum, LeAlan Jones and Rich Whitney need contributions of time and money from Greens in Illinois and around the country. Here is an email Whitney sent to supporters this week with the subject line “Making History: Breaking the Two-Party Monopoly”: read more »
LeAlan Jones, Illinois Green Party candidate for US Senate, sent the following email to supporters today:
My name is LeAlan M Jones. I’m running for the US Senate in Illinois this November as the Green Party nominee and I’m happy to say, our campaign is ready to grow in a big way!
My two opponents are already spending hundreds of thousands of dollars to destroy each other on TV. According to recent polls, all that fighting is turning off their voters – and helping our grassroots campaign. Without a single dollar spent on television or radio, we’re already at five percent in the latest polls! When the votes are counted on November 2nd, I believe our campaign will be the last one standing tall – like a mighty oak tree. read more »
The Illinois Green Party has planned a party on Saturday 12 June to launch its Chicago campaign headquarters. From the facebook event Green Party Campaign HQ Kickoff Party:
The Green Party of Illinois is taking root in Chicago and opening our campaign headquarters right in the heart of Logan Square.
Join us as we celebrate our grand opening with our leading candidates: Jeremy Karpen (State Rep), Rich Whitney (Governor), LeAlan Jones (U.S. Senator), and Tom Tresser (Cook County Board President).
Meet our candidates and your green-minded neighbors. There will be information about the Green Party and our various campaign volunteer opportunities, as well as yummy snacks! read more »
From GreenChange.org:
Introducing 8 Young Greens to Watch: 8 young candidates who are running hard to bring our values into the halls of power. With your help, 2010 can be a breakthrough year for the Green movement from Maine to California.
At Green Change we’re committed to connecting you with candidates who share your Green values. And we’re passionate about inspiring young people to get active in the Green movement to transform politics in America.
Read about these 8 young Greens to watch, then spread the word!
LeAlan Jones gained international acclaim at age 13 for his work on the documentary “Ghetto Life 101″, a portrayal of life on Chicago’s south side. LeAlan is running for US Senate to work for single-payer health care, quality universal education, an end to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, public campaign financing, green jobs and transportation, and much more.
Hugh Giordano is an award-winning union organizer in Philadelphia with a Master’s degree in Legal and Ethical Studies. Hugh is running for Pennsylvania State House to work for green jobs, quality education, single-payer health care, workers’ rights and more.
Cynthia Santiago of Los Angeles is a law student and an activist for environmental justice for low-income communities. Cynthia is running for California State Assembly to work for environmental justice, youth violence prevention, sustainable development and investing in education instead of incarceration.
Dan Craigie of Minneapolis served four years as a Navy technician before working his way to a Master’s degree in public policy. Dan is running for Minnesota State House to work for renewable energy, single-payer health care, environmental protection, equal rights and more.
Anna Trevorrow was elected in 2009 to serve on the City Charter Commission in Portland, Maine, where she advocated instant runoff voting and other reforms. Anna is running for Maine State House to work for progressive tax reforms, living wage, single-payer health care, greater transportation choice and more.
Alberto Bocanegra is a Chicago community organizer who has been active in efforts for immigration reform and affordable housing. Alberto is running for Alderman to fight Chicago’s notorious corruption and ensure equal rights for underprivileged communities.
Erin Cianchette is a music teacher, peace and environmental activist, and graduate student in public policy and non-profit management from Cumberland, Maine. Erin is running for Maine State House to work for renewable energy, green job creation, single-payer health care, equal rights for all, and more.
Jeremy Karpen of Chicago is an anti-violence counselor and therapist for troubled youth. Jeremy is running for Illinois State House to work for single-payer health care, mass transit, affordable housing, quality public education, and political reforms to clean up Illinois’ notoriously corrupt politics.
You can help these young Greens build momentum by giving them a contribution and sharing this page with your friends and family.
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