{news} (National GP News Release)Critcal Advances for Greens, Lay Foundation for 2008

Thu Nov 9 10:42:41 EST 2006

GREEN PARTY OF THE UNITED STATES
http://www.gp.org

For Immediate Release:
Thursday, November 9, 2006

Contacts:
Scott McLarty, Media Coordinator, 202-518-5624,
mclarty at greens.org
Starlene Rankin, Media Coordinator, 916-995-3805,
starlene at greens.org

Critical advances for Greens on Election Day 2006
lay foundation for 2008

• Greens win ballot status in Illinois, with
gubernatorial candidate Rich Whitney's 11%,
overcoming prohibitive ballot access rules, and
in Nevada

• Strong antiwar vote in favor of warhawk
Democrats shows a disconnect in U.S. politics;
only Greens offered an antiwar platform; Greens
warn that Democrats in Congress will do little to
reverse Bush's foreign policy

• 2006 Green Party election news and results:
http://www.gp.org/2006elections

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Green Party leaders called
the 2006 midterm election a small but important
step forward for the party, preparing Greens for
the 2008 presidential campaign.

According to initial returns, Greens won at least
35 races nationwide, with 18 wins in California,
on November 7.  Among the California victories is
Gayle McLaughlin, who defeated the incumbent for
Mayor of Richmond, the first city with more than
100,000 residents to have a Green mayor

"The number of votes gained and the increased
percentages in significant races show the party's
steady growth," said Rebecca Rotzler, co-chair of
the Green Party of the United States and Deputy
Mayor of New Paltz, New York.  "We maintained
ballot access in most states where we already had
it, and gained a key state, Illinois, thanks to
Rich Whitney, who received 11% in his run for
Governor."

Greens warned that antiwar voters may find
themselves frustrated by Democrats in Congress
during the next two years, especially on the war
front.

"Some Green candidates running for Congress
probably contributed to the defeat of
Republicans," said Jim Coplen, co-chair of the
national party.  "While Democratic candidates
offered weak criticism of Republicans on issues
like the war in Iraq, Green candidates sharply
criticized the war and other Bush policies. 
Ironically, outspoken Green criticism may have
translated into votes for Democrats among voters
who decided it was time to end Republican rule in
Congress.  Unfortunately, many of the winning
Democrats, like Hillary Clinton [N.Y.] and Howard
Berman [Calif.], support the war.  They will only
call for changes in military strategy in Iraq,
they'll support President Bush's threats of an
attack against Iran, and they'll maintain
uncritical endorsement of Israel's murderous and
illegal policies in regard to the Palestinian
people."

Thumbnail reports on Green campaigns across the
U.S.:

• Green candidate Rich Whitney drew 11% (325,598
votes) for Governor in Illinois, achieving ballot
status for the Green Party in preparation for the
2008 election.  This is the first time a national
third party has achieved ballot status in
Illinois since 1920; Illinois has difficult
ballot access rules and Gov. Rod Blagojevich
spent $800,000 in taxpayers' money trying to keep
Greens off the state ballot.
http://www.whitneyforgov.org http://www.ilgp.org

• Pat LaMarche, running on a strong universal
health care platform, drew nearly 10% in her
campaign for Governor of Maine.  Ms. LaMarche,
who qualified as a 'clean elections' candidate,
competed with the incumbent Democrat and a former
Democrat who had reregistered as an independent
in order to run, as well as a Republican.

Also in Maine, the Green Independent Party won
two seats on Portland City Council and maintained
four seats on the city's School Committee,
according to preliminary results.  Maine Greens
were disappointed in the defeat of John Eder, two
term member of the Maine statehouse.
http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/news/local/061108portland.html

• DC Statehood Greens won eight Advisory
Neighborhood Commission races and easily kept its
ballot line.  The Statehood Green Party has
replaced the Republican Party as Washington,
D.C.'s second party in terms of electoral
participation.

Joyce Robinson-Paul finished second out of two,
receiving 14,109 votes for 14.7% in her race for
D.C.'s U.S. Senate seat ('Shadow Senator'). 
Keith Ware finished second out of three in his
race for U.S. Representative, beating the
Republican. He received 12,533 votes for 12.7%.

• Green candidate Tom Kelly, running for the U.S.
House in Colorado's District 1, has received
25,096 votes for 21%. This is the highest
percentage for a Green running for Congress this
year.

• Green candidate Malachy McCourt, running for
Governor of New York, received 40,485 votes,
missing the state's requirement of 50,000 votes
in a presidential or gubernatorial race for
ballot status.  However, several other statewide
candidates received over 50,000 votes, and New
York Greens, led by senatorial candidate Howie
Hawkins <http://www.hawkinsforsenate.org>, are
calling for a legal challenge asking for the
state to recognize these votes as qualification
for Green Party ballot status in 2008:

Malachy McCourt for Governor/Alison Duncan for
Lt. Governor: 40,351 votes (0.97%)
Rachel Treichler for Attorney General: 57,564
votes (1.43%)
Julia Willebrand for Comptroller: 108,030 votes
(2.82%)
Howie Hawkins for U.S. Senate: 51,538 votes
(1.22%)

• Green candidate Gayle McLaughlin
<http://www.gaylemclaughlin.net> appears to have
won her race against an incumbent for Mayor of
Richmond, California, a few miles from Oakland
and San Francisco.  Ms. McLaughlin, who refused
corporate donations and raised about $14,000, was
outspent by the incumbent, who raised more than
$110,000 from contributors, the biggest of which
was Chevron.  Gayle first won office two years
ago when she ran for Richmond City Council. 
Richmond, with a population of 103,000, is now
the largest city with a Green mayor.

Also in California, incumbent City Council member
Larry Robinson was reelected in Sebastopol,
retaining the Council's Green majority, in place
since 2000

• In U.S. Senate races, Todd Chretien
(California) drew over 110,000 votes (some
precincts still haven't reported), more than any
other Green senatorial candidate.  In
Pennsylvania's 15th District, Greta Brown drew
31,443 votes, the most of any Green candidate for
the U.S. House.  14 Greens ran for the Senate, 42
for the House.

• The Massachusetts Green-Rainbow Party needed 3%
in a statewide vote to maintain ballot status. 
Dr. Jill Stein, running for Secretary of the
Commonwealth, accomplished this by receiving
351,495 votes (the most votes for any Green
candidate on November 7) for 18% in a two way
race.  Jamie O'Keefe, running for State Treasure,
also had a high enough vote percentage to
accomplish this. He received 16% (322,493 votes).

• The following state Green Parties appear to
have lost ballot status in the 2006 election:
Alaska, Connecticut, and Maryland.  However,
these parties have sufficient infrastructure to
collect petition signatures and place candidates
on the ballot in 2008 and are likely to regain
ballot status.

• 8.7 million voters across the U.S. voted for
withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq and for
impeachment resolutions on local and state
ballots that were promoted or supported by
Greens.  Troop withdrawal initiatives won in all
ten localities in Wisconsin, including Milwaukee,
and all 11 communities in Illinois, including
Chicago.  Of 139 cities and towns in
Massachusetts voting on the troop withdrawal
measures, only a handful voted nay on initiatives
demanding that Congress and the White House end
the war immediately.  In California, San
Francisco voters supported a local impeachment
measure by 59.41%. In Berkeley, a similar
resolution won the support of 68.56% of the
electorate.  Greens supported and led the
initiative campaigns; in April, 24 of 32
communities voted in support of the 'Troops Home
Now' resolutions that were promoted by Greens.
(More information:
<http://www.LibertyTreeFDR.org>)

"Tuesday's vote represents more of a defeat for
Republicans and the Bush agenda than a victory
for Americans who oppose the war on Iraq," said
Liz Arnone, co-chair of the Green Party of the
United States.  "Only the Green Party offered a
real antiwar platform, calling for immediate
withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq.  The danger
now is that Democrats in Congress will ignore the
will of the American people, according to
numerous polls and voters' initiatives, and keep
U.S. troops in Iraq while only criticizing the
Bush Administration on strategic grounds.  A lot
of antiwar votes may prove to have been wasted on
November 7."

MORE INFORMATION

Green Party of the United States
http://www.gp.org
1700 Connecticut Avenue NW, Suite 404
Washington, DC 20009.
202-319-7191, 866-41GREEN
Fax 202-319-7193

Green campaign listings, news, photos, and web
sites http://www.gp.org/2006elections
Database of 2006 Green candidates
http://www.greens.org/elections
Video clips of Green candidates
http://www.gp.org/2006elections/media.shtml
Green Party News Center
http://www.gp.org/newscenter.shtml

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    Tim McKee cell (860) 778-1304 or (860) 643-2282
   National Committee Member of the Green Party(Connecticut)
    Cliff Thornton for Governor- Campaign Manager

  Paid for by Thornton For Governor, Max Wentworth, Treasurer-   www.VoteThornton.com

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