WASHINGTON, D.C. – Demonstrating an enduring commitment to building a grassroots party that contests all levels of government, at least 181 Greens in 32 states are competing for public office on Election Day, November 3rd. They follow 29 Green candidates who ran in Winter, Spring and Summer 2020 elections.

Like Green presidential nominee Howie Hawkins and running-mate Angela Walker, Green candidates for state and local office have had to fight their exclusion from candidate forums and debates while bearing the extraordinary burden of campaigning during the government’s disastrous mismanagement of the Coronavirus pandemic.

Green Party of the United States
www.gp.org

For Immediate Release:
October 28, 2020

Contact:
Michael O’Neil, Communications Manager, [email protected]
Holly Hart, Co-chair, Media Committee, [email protected]
Craig Seeman, Co-chair, Media Committee, [email protected]

21 Greens ran for municipal office in 2020 and 10 were victorious, for a winning percentage of 47.6%. Nine of 11 incumbents were elected (81.8%). In November, six Greens are running in uncontested local races that are essentially guaranteed, four of them incumbents. An additional five incumbents are running in contested races. Historically, Green incumbents have an 80% re-election rate.

“Every year, the numbers speak loud and clear,” said Green Party Co-Chair Gloria Mattera. “Anyone who claims ‘Greens only show up to run for president’ has fallen prey to a political culture that seeks to erase alternative parties or is speaking as an accomplice to that toxic political culture.”

Greens are running for a variety of positions: city and town councils, soil and water commissions, school boards, township trustees and zoning boards. 130 are running for state and federal office. The other 51 are running for “local elections,” including county, city, school, and other municipal offices. Green candidates tend to fare best in local contests that favor grassroots campaigns over big-money fundraising and paid advertising.

2020 Green Campaign Highlights

Lisa Savage, U.S. Senate, Maine, is the first Green to run for U.S. Senate in an election with a Ranked Choice Voting ballot. Lisa stunned the competition in three televised debates with straight talk and real solutions

Jake Tonkel, City Council 6, San Jose, California: Endorsed by the South Bay AFL-CIO, DSA Silicon Valley, Sunrise Silicon Valley and the California Nurses Association

Franca Muller Paz, City Council District 12, Baltimore, Maryland: An educator and teacher’s union organizer, Franca has been endorsed by Democratic Socialists of America (National), Metro Baltimore AFL-CIO, Our Revolution Maryland and Baltimore Women United. Local media have characterized the District 12 race as Baltimore’s only competitive contest for the year

Michael Bagdes-Canning, State Representative, District 64, Pennsylvania. Mike has brought together a coalition including SUNRISE Pittsburgh, Our Revolution (Butler, PA) and Indivisible Central PA

Jessica Clayton, a Green incumbent seeking reelection to the Brick, New Jersey, Board of Education. Jessica’s district, like districts across the country, is struggling to serve students during COVID-19 while facing massive funding cuts

These are just a sample of the outstanding Green candidates worth watching in the 2020 election. For more information about Green candidates, visit the Green Party's 2020 election page.

The Green Party has also endorsed the YesOn2RCV campaign to win Ranked Choice Voting in the state of Massachusetts.

Watch: Green Wave Candidate Showcase Episodes 1-3, Greens Speak Up For Peace roundtable of “Peace Pledge” candidates

For More Information

Ranked-choice voting gives longshot Lisa Savage toehold in Maine’s US Senate race, Piper, Jessica. BDN Bangor Daily News, September 17, 2020

Lisa Savage participates in the first of four debates

Jake Tonkel wants to disrupt the status quo in San Jose politics, Wipf, Carly. San Jose Spotlight, October 7, 2020

Green Party’s Muller Paz seeks to unseat Democrat Stokes in Baltimore’s only competitive City Council race, Richman, Talia. The Baltimore Sun, September 23, 2020

Green Candidates who have signed the Green Party Peace Action Committee Peace Pledge

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