1 Vol. 5, Issue 1 • Winter/Spring 2001 GreenPages is a publication of the Association of State Green Parties Green Party enjoys record growth & success in 2000, from local elections to the presidency 2000 WAS A YEAR of spectacular part of the nation’s political lexicon. And Much more than in 1996, Greens electoral reform. Everything from voting growth for the Green Party in the United among the nation’s young, Greens are also worked together nationally on a machines to voting systems is now on States. increasingly a preferred choice. common electoral project, building the table for consideration, including Greens ran more candidates, re- In addition to electoral growth, increased cohesiveness and professional- Green goals of Instant Run-off Voting (IRV) ceived more votes, elected more people, the Green Party grew organizationally ism in their grassroots structure. This and proportional representation. registered more Green voters, and in 2000, enjoying an enormous leap in proved to be an invaluable, maturing ex- In sum, the Greens’ mixed achieved ballot status in more states skills, experience and contacts. This perience for the growing movement. strategy - of an emphasis on municipal than ever before. came from within, as internal leadership On the presidential level, the races, combined with selected state and The Green Party’s growth was has developed. It also came from Ralph Nader/Winona LaDuke campaign federal races, along with pursuing also about more than just numbers. without, as new talent - attracted by the helped make history – not only by proportional representation and IRV – is Public consciousness about the Greens party’s values, growth and potential – accelerating the growth of the Green succeeding. The party continues to grow increased many fold - from the board- has joined the party, deciding for them- Party - but also by helping create one of on all levels. With the nation a genera- rooms of the New York Times and Wash- selves that it was finally time to do the most narrow and controversial tional/demographic shift away from ington Post, to the classrooms of high independent third party politics. Many presidential elections in U.S. history. The a very different electorate – one without schools and universities across the Greens even earned a living as activists closeness of that election - and the contro- deep historical ties to the traditional nation. In just a few short years, the in 2000, and some will not be going versy it generated - has unexpectedly major parties – the Greens’ prospects only Green Party has become a meaningful back to conventional careers as a result. opened a door for potentially historic continue to look better with time. Electoral Success • Greens are winning in larger cities. tiple terms in office, in keeping with their office and 120 for municipal and county. Matt Gonzalez was elected to the San philosophy of not being ‘career politicians’. On the local level, where the costs Francisco Board of Supervisors in a This means there is a continual influx of are lower, the scale imore manageable • The number of Green candidates in- breakthrough race for the Green Party, new Greens being elected with each cycle. and face-to-face ‘retail politics’ more vi- creased to 274 in 2000, more than double winning in a Democratic Party strong- Greens are winning in a variety of able, Greens won 26% of all city and town the previous high of 131 in1998. The hold in one of the nation’s major cities. communities, demonstrating a potentially council races and 29% of all municipal number of states in which Greens ran also At 750,000 people, the city/county of broad appeal. Greens are winning in lib- and county races they contested overall. increased, from 20 in 1998 to 32 (plus the San Francisco becomes the largest U.S. eral coastal California and the Pacific On the state and federal level, District of Columbia and American Sa- city or county jurisdiction with an Northwest, in conservative Wyoming and while still running to win, Greens have moa) in 2000. elected Green, surpassing Madison, WI Florida, in small villages in Alaska, the used these races to highlight the differ- Nine states – AK, AZ, CA, MI, (210,000) and Dane County, WI Rocky Mountains and the Sierra Nevadas; ence on issues and approach between the MO, NJ, NM, NY and WI - ran ten or more (430,000) as the largest of each. in the Hawaiian Islands, along Lake Supe- Greens and the status quo parties. This candidates. They were topped by CA, Before 1999, the largest cities to rior, in poor urban neighborhoods and of affects the level of debate and attracts new which ran a record high 58. The previous elect Greens were Berkeley 110,000 and course, in college towns across the nation. people into the Green Party, after they high was 49 by NY in 1999 and 46 by CA Santa Monica 93,000. Today there are realize that there is a positive alternative in 1992. Six states – DE, KY, LA, TN, TX, five cities with 130,000 or more (San • Elected officials from other parties are to the Democrats and Republicans. WY - ran candidates for the first time, as Francisco, Madison, Modesto, CA , Hart- joining the Greens. Just as more Greens did the Greens in the U.S. territory of ford, CT and Salem, OR ) continue to be elected, the number of • In many state legislative races, American Samoa. Originally the Green Party was people in office from other parties switch- Greens provide the only opposition to Not only is the growth in the cast as a rural party that could not win ing to Green also continues to grow. In the incumbents. As for providing a real number of Greens candidates coming in urban areas, on urban issues. Experi- 2000, three sitting city councilmembers alternative, criticizing the ‘winner-take- from within the party, but as conscious- ence in recent elections is beginning switched to the Green Party - Larry Barnett, all’ electoral system, Greens have long ness of the Green Party grows, green- to demonstrate otherwise. Mayor, Sonoma, CA, Brian Laverty, Bor- maintained that gerrymandered single- thinking people who had been consider- member districts lead to mostly ough Council, Blossburg, PA and Katie ing running for office, are now realizing • Voters believe Greens can govern. uncompetitive races, in which there is Scheib, Borough Council, Lewisburg, PA. they should be doing so as a Green. Green incumbents for city council and little incentive sometimes, even for the county supervisor continue to be Two more switched in the midst opposition major party to run. • The number of victories also went to re-elected at a high rate. Since 1992, 38 of their campaigns, before they elected - The November 2000 bore this out, a record high. Greens won a record high out of the 43 Green incumbents have won Anna Braun, City Council, Salem, OR and as either the Democrats or the Republi- 35 races in 2000, eclipsing by far the previ- re-election. Green officeholders and Matt Gonzalez, Board of Supervisors, San cans failed to run a candidate in 40.6% of ous high of 21 in 1998. Included among organizing are also having a coattail Francisco, CA. Still one more switched all state legislative contests nationwide. the 35 victories was a record 16 city effect. There are now been eight U.S. to Green after being elected, but before This was not atypical In 1998, there was no council seats and 9 county supervisors. cities in which Greens have at least two being sworn in - Marc Sanchez, Board of Democrat or no Republican in 41.1% of What Green officeholders have city councilmembers, as well as two Education, San Francisco. the state legislative races; in 1996, 32.7%; in common is a commitment to sustain- counties that have at least two Greens in 1994, 35.8%; in 1992, 32.8%. able development (including affordable on their board of supervisors. • Greens ran for a range of offices, The Green Party stepped into this housing and public transportation), social Six Greens also became mayors impacting the political dialogue on all void, running 22 candidates in such state justice in their communities and in California in 2000, where the law in levels. Among the 274 candidates in legislative races, in IA, ME, MO, NM, increasing peoples’ voice in the decisions many cities has the city council 2000, four were for president, 13 for NY, OR, PA and RI, providing an oppor- that affect them. choosing the mayor from within the U.S. Senate, 48 for the House of Represen- tunity to more clearly differentiate the California won the most races council - Kerry Arnett (Nevada City), tatives, 78 for State Legislature, and 62 for Greens from other parties and to develop overall – 14, tying their record set in 1998. Larry Barnett (Sonoma), Mike Feinstein city and town councils. Overall there the Greens as the main opposition force Wisconsin, which had the second most (Santa Monica), Tim Fitzmaurice (Santa were 154 candidates for state and federal in those areas. (continued back page) victories, impressively won all seven races Cruz), Suza Francina (Ojai) and Larry it five races, and New Mexico and Oregon Robinson (Sebastopol). These choices won twice each. Greens also won for the demonstrate the respect that Green of- first time in four states - FL, MI, WA and ficeholders are generating from their col- WY – that are very different from each leagues. At 93,000 Santa Monica is now PO Box 5631 other, geographically and demographi- the largest U.S. city with a Green mayor. Santa Monica, CA 90409 cally, suggesting the base for Green poli- tics in the U.S.