On September 4, Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court Judge Stella M. Tsai issued her order in the case GPPA vs. Tupone, in which the Green Party of Pennsylvania had challenged the nomination papers of Andrew Tupone, candidate for U.S. Congress District 7 in Pennsylvania. Tupone had attempted to be listed under the Green Party ballot line for the November 3 General Election. Judge Tsai ruled that Tupone could not appear on the ballot.

Green Party of Pennsylvania
September 6, 2026

GPPA Co-chair Tim Runkle said, "This decision ensures voters can be confident that when they see a Green on the ballot that person has committed to the Four Pillars and Ten Key Values of the Greens Party of Pennsylvania. We do not tolerate the underhanded and deceptive tactics which have soured our elections and discourage participation. The members of the two corporate parties have their primary elections to decide their representation. Green voters are prevented from such privilege; our members, however, nominate Green candidates, and Judge Tsia has determined that must be respected in accordance with the laws of the Commonwealth."

"The Court's analysis respects the internal governance of political bodies and protects political bodies from external forces hijacking those bodies," Judge Stella M. Tsai wrote in the court document.

GPPA Co-chair Colleen Schmotzer said, "The Green Party of Pennsylvania is pleased with the court's decision to remove Andrew Tupone, a lifelong Republican, from our ballot line. This ruling reinforces the importance of following the Green Party's established candidate-selection procedures and protects the integrity of the Green Party's name, platform, and ballot position. It also establishes an important precedent: anyone seeking to run as a Green Party candidate in Pennsylvania must first obtain the endorsement of the state party. Candidates who have not received this endorsement should not represent themselves as Green Party nominees or appear on our ballot line. We will continue working to ensure that Pennsylvania voters can clearly identify candidates who genuinely represent the values and principles of the Green Party."

The Green Party of Pennsylvania (GPPA), is an independent political party which stands in opposition to the two corporate parties. GPPA candidates promote public policy based on the Green Party's Four Pillars: grassroots democracy, nonviolence, ecological wisdom, and social justice/equal opportunity. For further information about GPPA, please email [email protected]. Please follow GPPA on social media: Facebook,  and Instagram.