Green Party of Pennsylvania
www.gpofpa.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, November 17, 2025

MEDIA CONTACT
Chris Robinson, Communication Team Co-Leader, [email protected]

GREEN STAR: Based on your campaign this year, what advice would you offer to Greens who plan to run for office in 2026 or 2027?

Michael Bagdes-Canning:
“My advice based on my campaign for Mayor in Cherry Valley would not be a one size fits all sort of thing. I think the determining factor in the success of my campaign was familiarity -- my neighbors know who I am, they know what I stand for, they know my character. That is based on living in this community for 43 years, serving on Borough Council / Mayor since 1989.

“I do think that some of that is generalizable. If you are going to mount a successful campaign, voters have to know who you are, what you stand for. They need to feel comfortable with you. Running as a Green, that is particularly true. Face it, we have been painted as spoilers, far-left tree huggers, purists. We as Greens need to counter that by showing up and genuinely engaging with our neighbors. Getting them familiar with Green values.”

Alex Noyle:
“This was our first time in a true three-way race against the duopoly, and we finished with 340 votes (6.68%). This is about 1/3 of our 1,092 votes in the 2023 two-way race. I’m confident a big chunk of that gap is Republicans who just voted Green as an anti-Democrat protest vote last time, and stuck to their own candidate this year. We did retain a small number of Republican votes, but we also discovered that our true base is primarily composed of three groups: independents, third party voters, and disillusioned Democrats. So, 340 votes is a much clearer count of people who actually share our vision -- not ‘lesser evil’ voters. That’s the base we’re going to be building on in the future

“We strongly urge Greens running in 2026 or 2027 to operate on a primary day timetable even though our deadlines are later. You want to be ahead of any surprises, not scrambling at the end. A dependable campaign manager and treasurer are crucial to your success as a candidate, and so is the growth of your local Green Party chapter.”

GREEN STAR: Voters in your district began voting by mail-in ballot on October 1. How do you think mail-in voting affected your campaign?

Michael Bagdes-Canning:
“About 20% of the voters in Cherry Valley voted by mail-in ballot, but the affect was negligible on the result. My campaigning was done via home visits. My wife Karen and I visited every home in Cherry Valley to distribute a voters guide -- telling people how to vote for write-in candidates -- NOT ME. I DID make sure I distributed those BEFORE the mail-in ballots were sent out. Karen, who is an inspector, told me that almost every voter showed up with that piece of paper.”

Alex Noyle:

“As in 2023 we didn’t do well with mail-in voters, which was expected because we did nothing to reach them. Next time we’re sending mailers to addresses we can’t realistically canvass, especially apartments and multi-family housing.”

GREEN STAR: What effect did your volunteers at the polls have on the election outcome?

Michael Bagdes-Canning:
“The only volunteer I had at the polls was me, and I didn't spend a whole lot of time at the polls -- less than an hour. All of my campaigning was done prior to the election. Due to our screwed up election laws, in tiny communities like Cherry Valley, it is far easier for me, a Green, to get on the ballot than it is for Democrats (it is impossible for them) or Republicans (near impossible). It was important to me to elect a Borough Council (four of the five seats were up), Auditors (3), Tax Collector (1), and Judge/Inspectors (3). Without those roles being filled, the borough cannot function. I think my neighbors appreciated the time and effort I put into making that happen.”

Alex Noyle: “The scientific approach we took to this race gave us a clearer sense of what actually works. Volunteers at the polls were by far our most effective tactic, yard signs came second, and canvassing slipped to third. Very different from 2023 in the 1-on-1 with a Democrat, where canvassing was our #1 tactic.”

GREEN STAR: Do you plan to run again for office as a Green Party candidate?

Michael Bagdes-Canning:
“I am 72. I am approaching my "sell by" date. I have already run for County Commissioner, State Representative (twice), and Lieutenant Governor of PA. I learned a lot during those campaigns. 

"However, I have things that I am passionate about, things that I want to leave behind: 

• I want the generations that come after mine to have a stable environment, clean air, water, and soil. 
• I want to ensure that we have a government that serves the many, not the rich.
• I want to work to repair the damage done through manipulation -- pitting neighbor against neighbor, city dwellers against rural denizens, housed against un-housed, immigrants against citizens.

“So what that means is, I want to spend the rest of my time feeding those passions, continue the organizing work that I do in those realms through Pennsylvania Action on Climate, March on Harrisburg, and the PA Poor People's Campaign.

“Sure, if four years from now I still have the energy, I will run for Mayor of Cherry Valley again. However, I am actively trying to plant the seeds among my neighbors to make me obsolete. We have an amazing group of people in the Green Party of Pennsylvania who are better faces for a forward-looking Green Party than this grizzled geezer. I'd be happy to be a guide on the side.”

Alex Noyle:

“I plan to run with the Montco Greens again in 2027 and will be seeking endorsements from other minor parties as well. I ran out of time to approach others this year. The 2025 election season is over, but our work to turn East Norriton Green is just getting started. We are planting the seeds. Thank you, everyone, for your support, this election may be over but this campaign is certainly not. Like Sisyphus, we will keep on pushing.”

The Green Party of Pennsylvania (GPPA), https://www.gpofpa.org, 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, https://www.facebook.com/gpofpa/; Instagram, https://www.instagram.com/pagreenparty/; and X, https://x.com/GreenPartyofPA