Politicians: Jill Stein
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Politicians: Jill Stein By H. Graph Desino, adapted by Newsela staff Synopsis: Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein is a physician, author and activist. She became interested in environmental issues when she noticed that her patients often lived in polluted areas. She has run for several local and state-level offices, and she ran for president in 2012. Stein lives in Lexington, Massachusetts, with her husband and has two grown sons. Early Life And Education Jill Ellen Stein was born in Chicago, Illinois, on May 14, 1950. Her parents were Gladys and Joseph Stein, whose families both came from Russia. She grew up in the nearby neighborhood of Highland Park and was raised Jewish. As a child, she was fascinated by the natural world. She would catch butterflies, frogs and fish to study under her microscope. Stein was an excellent student and loved music. She later played guitar and sang in a folk-music band. Stein went to Harvard College in Massachusetts in 1969. She graduated with high honors and then attended Harvard Medical School, where she graduated in 1979. Medical Career And Introduction To Politics Stein was doctor for 25 years and taught medicine at Harvard. She married physician Rick Rohrer in 1981, and they raised two sons, Noah and Ben. Over time, Stein grew interested in the connection between her patients’ health and where they lived. Many of her patients who lived in areas with heavy pollution had more health problems. In 1998, she fought to get stricter rules for coal plants in Massachusetts. She testified before different groups and government departments about the effects of pollution on health. Stein also pressed for the passage of a campaign finance reform bill. They tightened rules about how candidates for office could raise money. Massachusetts lawmakers later repealed the law. Stein, then a Democrat, saw this as a betrayal. In 2000, she co-wrote "In Harm’s Way: Toxic Threats to Child Development." The report said that chemicals in the atmosphere, such as pesticides, can harm brain development in children. It was recognized around the world and translated into four languages. She co-authored a similar report, "Environmental Threats to Healthy Aging," in 2009. In 2002, the Massachusetts Green-Rainbow Party asked Stein to represent their party and run for governor and she accepted. Although she lost, the race became important in launching her political career. State And Presidential Campaigns Backed by her party, Stein went on to run for several other state offices. Although she again lost, she did win a seat in Lexington’s town government twice. On October 24, 2011, Stein announced she was running for president and later won the Green Party nomination. She supported environmentally friendly energy and programs aimed at creating jobs and halting climate change, which is the heating up of the Earth. In the 2012 U.S. presidential election, about 470,000 people voted for Stein out of around 126 million. Third parties such as the Greens do not do well in the United States, partly because they do not have nearly as much money as the Republican and Democratic parties. Their candidates also can have trouble getting on state ballots for president because each state has different rules. Onward To 2016 Stein announced she would run for president again and won the Green Party's nomination in 2016. She chose human rights champion Ajamu Baraka as her vice president. Stein has received some support from Democrats who do not want to vote for Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. As in 2012, Stein failed to qualify for the 2016 presidential debates. To take part in presidential debates, a candidate has to be supported by 15 percent, or 15 out of 100 people, in polls. The debates are on television and millions of people watch them. She and Libertarian presidential candidate Gary Johnson, who also was not invited to the debates, filed a lawsuit saying they had been unfairly kept out. The case was dismissed in August 2016. As of late September 2016, Stein’s name will appear on the November ballot in 45 states. Politicians: Gary Johnson By Brad Dorman, adapted by Newsela Staff Synopsis: Gary Johnson is now a two-time Libertarian Party candidate for president who comes from a business background. He was born in North Dakota in 1953. He attended the University of New Mexico and started his own construction company, which became a multimillion-dollar business. Johnson won the New Mexico governor’s race in 1994 as a Republican and was re-elected four years later. In 2012, he ran a failed campaign to be the Republican candidate for U.S. president. However, he became the Libertarian Party candidate for the White House that year and again in 2016. Early Life And Education Gary Earl Johnson was born on New Year’s Day 1953 in Minot, North Dakota. His father was a school teacher and his mother worked for the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Johnson grew up in North Dakota and New Mexico. He attended the University of New Mexico. Johnson graduated with a degree in political science and started a construction company. The company grew to about 1,000 employees. Johnson sold it in 1999 for a reported $10 million. Political Outsider Johnson entered the Republican primary for governor of New Mexico in 1994. This was in spite of having no political experience. He surprised many people by winning the four-way primary race by a little more than 1,000 votes. Johnson ran on a platform based on cutting spending, and he beat Democratic Governor Bruce King. Johnson was elected to a second term in 1998. During his time as governor, Johnson cut spending and vetoed more than 750 bills. Johnson could not run again in 2002 because there are limits to the number of years one person can be governor. He left office in 2003, rejoining the business world. Back To Politics Johnson returned to politics for the 2012 presidential campaign, initially running as a Republican. However, his beliefs did not match up perfectly with the majority of Republicans. Specifically, his beliefs on social issues and the military did not go over well with Republican voters. He left the Republican race in December 2011. Johnson then went after and won the Libertarian Party's nomination in 2012. Libertarians are generally similar to Republicans when it comes to economics, but closer to Democrats in their thinking on social issues. He received about 1 percent of the vote in the general election. 2016 Campaign Johnson moved his attention back to business following the 2012 campaign. In 2014, he became the head of a company called Cannabis Sativa Inc., which sells marijuana products. He left the company two years later and again sought the Libertarian nomination for U.S. president. Johnson faced a tough battle for the nomination. Some Libertarians felt that he did not represent enough of the party’s beliefs. A sign of this came when Johnson told USA Today newspaper that there could be a discussion about laws to keep mentally ill people from buying guns. This was a departure from the party’s strong opposition to laws that regulate guns. Policy Views Johnson positions himself as Republican when it comes to economics, but he has some liberal social views. For example, he supports the legalization of marijuana. He is in favor of cutting government spending and taxes, and replacing the current tax system with a national sales tax. He also would immediately bring American troops home from Afghanistan and Iraq. Johnson’s second campaign received more support than his first. However, he did not have enough support to take part in the first presidential debate with Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican Donald Trump. Johnson says that he hopes people will realize they do not have to limit their choice of candidate to the two major parties. .