We Did It! The Green Party is Again Recognized as a Political Party
We received word this morning from the State Board of Elections that the Maryland Green Party is once again recognized as a political party. Our 2024 candidates will be on the ballot, and we will be able to nominate candidates for local, state, and federal offices in 2026.
Thank you to everyone who signed the petition, volunteered to gather signatures, donated, and helped spread the word about our petition drive over the last two years! Our full statement is below.
For Immediate Release
August 27, 2024
Maryland Green Party Qualifies as Political Party for Seventh Time
The Maryland Green Party has once again met the legal requirements to be recognized as a political party in Maryland and nominate candidates for local, state, and federal office. The party had submitted 17,791 signatures to state officials earlier this month to meet the legal requirement of 10,000 valid signatures. The party has been informed that 10,134 signatures were verified and the Green Party is now qualified to nominate candidates for the 2024 and 2026 elections.
“We would like to thank everyone involved in this effort – our ballot access coordinators who have been calling volunteers and sorting thousands of petitions sheets, our volunteers who have been approaching Maryland voters at fairs and festivals over the course of months, our paid petitioners who braved this summer’s intense heat, our donors, supporters, and every Marylander who signed our petition”, said Brian Bittner, Chair of the Maryland Green Party. “This is an expression of the intense desire for candidates and elected officials who will stand for our values – peace, social and environmental justice, and democracy.”
The party has nominated Jill Stein and Butch Ware for President and Vice President of the United States, Nancy Wallace for U.S. House of Representatives for the 8th District, Claudia Barber for Judge for the 5th Circuit Court (Anne Arundel County), and Renaud Brown for Baltimore City Council, 14th District.
The candidates have submitted introductory statements, listed below. The party will be announcing upcoming forums featuring the candidates and will issue additional statements as the general election nears.
Nancy Wallace: “Nancy Wallace, climate justice champion for 25 years, is the Green candidate for U.S. House of Representatives in MD’s 8th district in Montgomery County. After Montgomery County’s first tornadoes this year, and sizzling temperatures in the danger zone, she calls for large-scale emergency assistance to homeowners, schools, and businesses to switch off fossil fuels while creating good-paying local jobs in solar, insulation, and electrification. 'The Green New Deal was created by the Green Party in 2012, and is now well-known in Democratic platitudes as 'future talk'. But our communities and our planet need massive transformation help now. Other candidates and parties have never taken the science seriously, but I do. I will be a bold, loud leader in Congress to implement the scientific recommendations as our top national priority. We need to redirect our military funding from violent confrontations to true security which can only happen in a healthy, stable environment and equitable local economy.'
'I was honest about the climate emergency when I ran for this House seat in 2016, and nothing has been done since then by the 8th district representative to stop or even slow our CO2 emissions except one co-sponsorship. It’s time for a Representative from a party that doesn’t take money from fossil fuels, arms dealers, Big Pharma or gun manufacturers. The Green Party is the only national political party that is truly independent, not taking any corporate donations, in order to represent the people’s needs.'"
Claudia Barber: “Elections are about choices. In November, ‘we will elect leaders up and down the ballot who will fight for the hopeful, forward-looking America we all believe in’ (former President Barack Obama). This November 2024, I present my candidacy as judge on the Circuit Court for Anne Arundel County, duly qualified with 35 years of legal experience and fully vetted. I am the only candidate on this ballot with 10 years of judicial experience, an accomplished author, award winning newsletter editor, and a recent recipient of the 2024 Lawyers of Distinction Award. I am also the recipient of the 2022 Dr. Martin Luther King Drum Major for Justice Award and a proud recipient of the Sojourner Truth Award from Anne Arundel County in 2022. I am a lifetime member of the National Association of Women Judges (NAWJ) where I served 2011-2013 as District 4 Director. I am also a lifetime member of the National Bar Association, and currently am a member of the Book Publishing Board of the American Bar Association's Senior Lawyers Division.”
Renaud Brown: “Renaud Brown is running against progressive Democrat Odette Ramos. Last election, he received 4.06% of the vote in state legislative District 43A with 1,691. Mr. Brown is fortunate to be able to gain some of those votes back and get new ones from Hampden, Coldstream and Roland Park. His platform focuses on education, from having accountability from school officials to teachers and students, and Kirwan funding. Housing needs are being addressed as well and will be an issue. Foreclosures rates are just as alarming as rental evictions. Lastly, Renaud has petitioned not to have at-will employment and wants to draft legislation that models Montana’s Wrongful Discharge Act. He is looking forward to speaking across the district to Baltimoreans and hopes to change the policies in city government.”
The Maryland Green Party first gained status as a qualified political party in August of 2000. The party later successfully regained status in December of 2002, January of 2007, August of 2012, January of 2015, and August of 2020. The party lost its qualified status in December of 2022 and has been collecting signatures since that time.
Candidate webpages:
Maryland Green Party
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