[GPCA Updates] Greens Celebrate Hard Won Victories

[Green Party of California Updates]

>From the Green Party of the United States




                       Greens Celebrate Hard Won Victories

  First of all, we've got to say thanks. A huge debt of gratitude goes out to
  everyone who worked at the polls, knocked on doors, made phone calls,
  attended rallies, wrote letters and otherwise supported Green candidates.
  Never before has the Green Party run such a number of well-organized,
  high-profile campaigns at all levels across the country. Thanks especially
  to everyone who ran for office. To those who won, congratulations! To those
  who didn't, put what you've learned on the campaign trail into practice;
  help build a strong Green Party in your community and run for office again!

  Greens have a lot to be proud of today. The Illinois Green Party's
  gubernatorial candidate Rich Whitney won 11% of the vote. Illinois voters
  have not voted for a third party candidate in such numbers since 1920. This
  is an historic moment. The Green Party is now a legally established,
  statewide political party in Illinois. Membership in the Illinois Green
  Party has exploded as a result of the campaign.

  Congratulations to Gayle McLaughlin, the new mayor of Richmond, CA. Gayle,
  who refused corporate donations, raised about $14,000. She was outspent by
  the incumbent, who raised more than $110,000 from big contributors, the
  biggest of which was Chevron. Gayle first won office 2 years ago when she
  ran for Richmond City Council. Greens won an additional 17 races in
  California. For complete up to the minute results nation wide go here:
  http://www.greens.org/elections/.

  In the nation's capitol, the DC Statehood Green Party won eight races, all
  were elected as Advisory neighborhood commissioners.  Joyce Robinson-Paul,
  running for "shadow" Senate won 14% of the vote, the highest for a
  Statehood Green in this election cycle. In addition to building a bench of
  qualified Statehood Green politicians, the Statehood Greens emerged as DC's
  second party in terms of electoral participation, replacing the
  Republicans. This was the largest slate Statehood Greens ever ran, with 18
  candidates.

  In Maricopa County, Arizona, Tom Doran (the first elected Green in the
  Phoenix area)won a seat on the Riverside School Board. Arizona Greens began
  their 2008 ballot access petition drive today by distributing formal
  petitions to circulators. Arizona will require a minimum of approximately
  16500 valid signatures to establish ballot status and will need to get at
  least 5% of the vote for the Green Presidential candidate in 2008 to retain
  that status.

  Green candidate Tom Kelly, running for the U.S. House in Colorado's
  District 1, has received 25,096 votes for 21%. This is the highest
  percentage for a Green running for Congress this year.

  8.7 million voters across the U.S. voted for withdrawal of U.S. troops from
  Iraq and for impeachment resolutions on local and state ballots that were
  promoted or supported by Greens. Troop withdrawal initiatives won in all
  ten localities in Wisconsin, including Milwaukee, and all 11 communities in
  Illinois, including Chicago. Of 139 cities and towns in Massachusetts
  voting on the troop withdrawal measures, only a handful voted nay on
  initiatives demanding that Congress and the White House end the war
  immediately. In California, San Francisco voters supported a local
  impeachment measure by 59.41%. In Berkeley, a similar resolution won the
  support of 68.56% of the electorate. Greens supported and led the
  initiative campaigns; in April, 24 of 32 communities voted in support of
  the 'Troops Home Now' resolutions that were promoted by Greens.

  We accomplished a lot. But we have a lot more to do. The American public
  voted against the war and they deserve more than rhetoric. We need a plan
  to bring our troops home. The American public voted against corrupt
  corporate driven politics as usual. They deserve clean elections and
  elected officials who represent them, not corporate lobbyists. Americans
  deserve the guarantee of a living wage, not a .75 increase to the minimum
  wage. Americans deserve national healthcare coverage, quality public
  education, and renewable energy. We must be the change we want to see. Go
  Greens!

  Email: office at gp.org
  Office: PO Box 57065 Washington, D.C. 20037 
  202-319-7191 or toll-free (US): 866-41GREEN