Green Party Watch

There are 58 candidates running for the United States House of Representatives on November 2.

This is the second of three posts on Green Party House candidates, continuing with the Western portion of the United States. There are candidates running in Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Texas and Washington.

Arlzona
William Crum (CD 2) – William Crum is a write-in candidate for U.S. House, second district. He ran for the same seat in 2008 and finished with 3,616 votes (1.1%) in a four way race. He is a father of five and grandfather of 17.
Leonard Clark (CD 3) – Len Clark is running for US House in Arizona’s 3rd District. Find out more about his campaign at his facebook page.
Rebecca Dewitt (CD 4) – Rebecca is an accountant, a mother, and the Secretary of the Arizona Green Party. She ran for the same seat in 2008 and finished with 4,464 votes (3.6%). Find out more about Rebecca Dewitt at her website.

California
Carol Wolman (CD 1) – Wolman is a psychiatrist on the Mendocino Coast, primarily working with native peoples. She is married with two children. In 2008 she ran for the same seat, finishing with an impressive 24,793 votes (8.54%), one of the best returns of congressional candidates in 2008.
Ben Emery (CD 4) – Ben Emery is a private ranch manager, he lives in Nevada City, CA with his wife and children. This is his first campaign for office.
Dave Heller (CD 9) – Heller ran a write-in campaign for this seat in 2008, finishing with 37 votes. Learn more about his campaign at his website. Also see his candidate statement video at KTVU.
Jeremy Cloward (CD 10) – Cloward is a political science professor, living in Pleasant Hill, CA with his wife and children. He last ran for this same office last year in a special election, finishing with 2,515 votes (1.83%).
Eric Peterson (CD 17) – Peterson is one of four candidates running for US House in the 17th Congressional District.

Colorado
Gary Swing (CD 1) – Gary Swing is a long time Green Party activist, working on Green Party campaigns since the mid-1990’s. He ran for State Representative in 1996 on the Green Party ticket, finishing with 1,338 votes (8.5%). He is a cultural event promoter in the Denver area, avid mountain climber, vegetarian and 9/11 truth movement supporter.

New Mexico
Alan Woodruff (CD 1) - Woodruff has been a chemical engineer, a management consultant, a financial consultant and a tax lawyer. After retiring from law practice he was a novelist and political junkie. This is his first run for office.

Oregon
Chris Henry (CD 1) – I had the pleasure of spending time with Chris Henry in Detroit this summer, he is a great guy. He is a union truck driver and green party organizer in Oregon. He last ran in 2008 for this same seat, finishing with 5,252 votes (2%).
Michael Meo (CD 3) – Meo is a math teacher and science historian, teaching at both the high school and university level. He is also a co-chair of the Pacific Green Party of Oregon. He ran for this same office in 2008, finishing with 12,741 votes (4%).
Michael Beilstein (CD 4) – Beilstein is a retired chemist from Oregon State University who also served time in the Peace Corps in the 1970s. He has also served three terms on the Corvalis City Council. He ran for this same seat in 2008, finishing with 8,195 votes (4%).
Chris Lugo (CD 5) – Lugo is a journalist and peace activist who previously ran for office on the Green Party ticket in Tennessee. Lugo has run twice for US Senate in the past, in 2008 he ran in Tennessee finishing with 9,102 votes (0.4%) and in 2006 he ran for Senate finishing with 2,578 votes (0.1%). (By the way, he has one of the most visually appealing websites from Green Party candidates.)

Texas
Jim Howe (CD 11) – Howe is an active member of the Permian Basin Central Labor Union and Communication Workers of America. This his first campaign for office.
Ed Scharf (CD 23) – Ed Scharf ran for this seat in 2002, finishing with 805 votes (0.5%). He is the co-owner of a wildlife lodge and broker with Scharf Realty.

Washington
Roy Olson (CD 9) – Olson, an actuary in Olympia, is a candidate for U.S. Representative in Washington’s Ninth Congressional District. Because of Washington’s “Top Two” election law, Olson was eliminated from the general election ballot during the primary on Sept. 1, where he finished 4th with 4,159 votes (3.34%).

Washington State primaries were yesterday, August 17. Washington State has the “top two” primary rule, meaning only the top two vote getters move on to the general election.

Richard Winger of Ballot Access News writes:

“No minor party members qualified for the November ballot for any federal or state office, except in races in which only one major party member was running. However, in one U.S. House race, an independent candidate did qualify for the November ballot, even though there was more than one major party member running.”

According to Brent McMillan, Executive Director of the Green Party (US),

Roy Olson ran in the primary for U.S. House District 9 in Washington State. Roy finished fourth of four candidates with 2,603 votes or 3.38% and does not advance to the General Election. Unofficial Results:

http://vote.wa.gov/Elections/WEI/Results.aspx?ElectionID=36&JurisdictionTypeID=3&JurisdictionID=155&ViewMode=Results

Howard Pellet ran in the primary for State House District 40, Position 2, in Washington State. Howard finished third of three candidates with 1,596 votes or 7.02% and does not advance to the General Election. Unofficial Results: http://vote.wa.gov/Elections/WEI/Results.aspx?ElectionID=36&JurisdictionTypeID=5&JurisdictionID=63445&ViewMode=Results

The Seattle Times reports on Washington Green Party candidate for US House of Representatives (WA-9) Roy Olson:

Olson, the Green Party candidate, works as an actuary in the state Insurance Commissioner’s Office.

“I’m at a stage in my career when I’m approaching retirement,” said Olson, 64. “So I approached the Greens to see if they were running someone. They weren’t so I didn’t see any reason not to run myself.”

Olson said he was disappointed the health-care bill didn’t contain a single-payer provision. He said he wants to tax job exports so companies don’t profit by sending jobs overseas, and supports a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants.

Olson opposes war spending but doesn’t consider himself a pacifist.

Read the full article at the Seattle Times.

From Free & Equal:

Leaders from Washington State’s Third Party Coalition released a statement today urging California voters to vote no on Proposition 14. The coalition is comprised of the American Heritage Party, Constitution Party, Green Party, Libertarian Party, and Progressive Party.

Here is the full text of the statement:

The Top Two Primary System in Action — The Experience of Third Parties in Washington State read more »

The Green Party of Washington State will be holding a campaign school and skills workshop on Saturday 17 April and Sunday 18 April in Ballard, just north of downtown Seattle. The Ballard News-Tribune has more information in an article entitled “Green Party Convention coming to Ballard”:

The Green Party of Washington State will hold its Campaign Skills School and spring convention Apr 17 and 18 in Ballard at Trinity United Methodist Church, located at 6512 23rd Ave. N.W. Registration will begin promptly at 8:30 a.m.

The Campaign Skills School is not just for candidates and will be presented by former Ballard resident Brent McMillan, now executive director of the Green Party of the United States, from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. read more »

According to this piece in the Ballard News Tribune, the Green Party of Washington State is holding a convention in Ballard to “formally reconstitute the state party.”

The convention will be a working assembly, grappling with many important questions facing our nation and the Green Party of Washington State.

Topics of immediate concern include growing local chapters, upcoming electoral work and outreach.

The convention will be held at 8:30 a.m at Trinity United Methodist Church, 6512 23rd Ave. N.W. Registration will begin promptly at 8:30.

Attendance is free with donations accepted. Coffee and tea will be provided. Attendees are encouraged to bring a brown bag lunch or visit locally-owned restaurants close by the convention site. Limited housing is available for those who wish to stay overnight.

Despite the best hopes in our first African-American president, we have an escalation in Afghanistan, a continuing war in Iraq, high unemployment, millions facing foreclosure, a health care plan written by insurance lobbyists, and billions in bailouts to Wall Street.

All of this is reflected in Washington state’s massive budget deficit and shredding of the social safety net.

As the crisis deepens in Washington, the Green Party of Washington State is stepping up to the plate.

Illinois

In Chicagoland, controversy has arisen regarding the political affiliation of an appointment to the Lake County Board. The man appointed to fill a Democrat’s seat has been accused of (gasp) pulling a Green Party ballot on February 5th. Turns out he pulled a Democratic Party ballot on March 21 though. One sympathetic board member said: “I understand a young man with liberal social leanings and environmental concerns pulling a Green ballot. I’ve been tempted to pull a Green ballot myself.”

Also, the Chicago Tribune has a short brief on the Illinois Green Party meeting this weekend.

Maine

The Bangor Daily News has a piece featuring the Maine Independent Green Party and its growth over the last 25 years. Besides quotes from John Rensenbrink and Jonathan Carter, it puts Gubernatorial candidate Lynn Williams on record saying “The bottom line is, I’m in it to win.” It also notes that another Green, Patrick Quinlan of Gorham, has registered to run for Governor as a Green as well. Will we have a primary?

Washington

Seattle Post Intelligencer covers the lawsuit brought forth in Washington State by the Green Party and others accusing the Secretary of State of compromising ballot secrecy through the use of tracking barcodes on ballots.

Egypt

Black Agenda Report reports that Cynthia McKinney and the Viva Palestina Convoy may be proceeding now from Egypt to Gaza. The convoy, which also includes the UK’s George Galloway and Dead Prez’s M-1, has been tied up in US and Egyptian bureaucracy but may be advancing. The conditions for the Americans involved is apparently to sign papers waiving their rights to protection by their own government. Given how the US Government protected Cynthia McKinney and the others on the last two trips with the Free Gaza ships, that shouldn’t be a stretch to sign. See also Viva Palestina US.

Cynthia McKinney and Rosa Clemente will be campaigning non-stop between now and the election…and after.

According to the campaign, Cynthia McKinney will be stopping in four states. Rosa Clemente will be in four states as well.

Check the campaign website for later details, but tentatively Cynthia McKinney’s schedule looks like:

• October 22-25 – Los Angeles, but also including NPR’s Talk of the Nation today from 1-3 EST, and Saturday’s Weekend Edition Oct 25 at 8 a.m. EST.
• October 26-27 – Seattle, WA – see this for details
• October 28-30 – Illinois (no details yet)
• October 31-Nov. 1 – Texas (with Rosa Clemente, Galveston and San Antonio were mentioned)
• Nov. 2-4 – Los Angeles

Rosa Clemente’s schedule:

• This week – North Carolina, interviews
• Oct. 29 – Bucknell University, Pennsylvania
• Oct. 31-Nov. 1 – Texas (with Cynthia McKinney)
• Nov. 3-6 – New York City (tentative)

Following the election, the candidates may be challenging election fraud if necessary.  Voting irregularities are already being reported.

The Washington Power to the People Campaign is bringing Cynthia McKinney to Seattle Sunday Oct. 26 and Monday Oct. 27.

Sunday, October 26, 2008

* 3pm – 7pm
“Vote…Then What?
From The Day After The Election Onward: Strategies for Community Organizing, Greening & Reconstruction”
Umojafest Peace Center
24th Ave & E Spring St, Seattle
The public is invited to attend.

Cynthia McKinney will be speaking in support of grassroots and institutional solutions to violence and other issues plaguing urban communities nationwide. This event is hosted by the Umojafest Peace Center and the McKinney/Clemente 2008 Power To The People Campaign. The program will include hip-hop and spoken word performances, speakers from youth and community based organizations, and a showing of the award-winning film, American Blackout.

Monday, October 27, 2008

* 11am – 12:30pm
“The Power of Student Movements: How to Use Your Campus as a Tool to Change the World!”
Broadway Performance Hall
Broadway at Pine Street, Seattle
The public is invited.

Ms. McKinney will address the growing concerns of students, the need for student leadership, and how students can organize on campus to engage in and impact social justice struggles and make meaningful contributions to communities outside school. This event will be hosted by the Black Student Union of Seattle Central Community College.

Howard Pellett is running for the Washington State House of Representatives, District 40, and according to the Bellingham Herald, he’s been so busy traveling that he’s been unavailable for them to interview! He’s clearly not afraid to take positions, as you can see at Project Vote Smart, and he’s willing to take those positions to the streets.

Pellett is a retired IRS agent, and a former Bothell city councilman.

In a message at Independent Political Report I reported on a statement from a Constitution Party supporter’s website. That statement said, in essence, that Oregon’s Measure 65, if passed, would be the death of third parties in that state.

In the article I linked to several pieces by Richard Winger of Ballot Access News on the topic, and to other information I was able to pick up via Google. I noted that I had sent a message to officers of that state’s Constitution, Libertarian and Green parties. Yesterday I got two responses from members of the Pacific Green Party on Measure 65, and they are available by clicking the “Read more–>” link

read more »

Washington State’s new Top 2 Primary system for partisan office bothers some, but the impact won’t be known until the ballots are cast today. Basically the way it works is:

• Candidates that appear on the ballot self select party identification.
• All candidates for a given office are listed together, rather than all the Democrats on one ballot, all the Greens on another, etc.
• The two candidates, regardless of party ‘identification’, that receive the most votes move on to the General Election. All others are eliminated.
• Political parties have no ability to block candidates, replace candidates, or highlight party nominated candidates.

Is this crazy? Or is this sane? It is very reminiscent of the Louisiana system that used to be in place, where all candidates appeared on the General Election ballot, and if no one got over 50% there was a run-off election between the top two several weeks later.

But lets look at the positives and negatives from a third party perspective.
read more »

In an email received today from the chair of the Green Party of Washington State, Maryrose Asher announced that the Secretary of State had confirmed that the Green Party ticket will be on that state’s ballot.

According to a chart at Ballot Access News, this puts the McKinney/Clemente Green Party ticket on 24 ballot lines to date.

Those willing to help gather signatures are encouraged to visit the Ballot Access Committee webpage at the national party site.