[GPCA Updates] GP RELEASE Wins for Nader, McKinney in Green primaries on Super Tuesday

Wed Feb 6 19:14:28 PST 2008

GREEN PARTY OF THE UNITED STATES
http://www.gp.org

For Immediate Release:
Wednesday, February 6, 2008

Victories for McKinney, Nader in four Green
primaries on Super Tuesday

• Results by state for Green primaries in
Arkansas, California, and Illinois; Massachusetts
results forthcoming

• Widespread voting irregularities hinder Greens
in Illinois

WASHINGTON, DC -- Results from the four states
where Green Parties participated in the February
5 Super Tuesday primaries show a landslide for
Ralph Nader in California (61%) and a lead among
candidates for Cynthia McKinney in Arkansas and
Illinois.

The office of the Secretary of the Commonwealth
of Massachusetts, responding to an inquiry, said
that his state doesn't post unofficial results,
and will not announce the numbers until absentee
and overseas ballots are counted.  Some early
returns from Boston and a few other cities show a
near tie for Mr. Nader and Ms. McKinney, with Mr.
Nader slightly ahead by a few votes, but too
inconclusive to call.

Ms. McKinney, a former Democratic US
Representative from Georgia (now a Green), won
the Illinois primary with a strong lead (57%).

The Arkansas results currently show that over
half (nearly 54%) of the state's Green voters
decided to remain uncommitted.  Arkansas' totals
have been delayed because of power outages after
severe storms and tornadoes Tuesday evening while
voting was still going on.

Mr. Nader has not declared his candidacy, but
recently announced the formation of an
exploratory committee for a possible presidential
run <http://www.naderexplore08.org>.

The Illinois Green Party is currently fielding
reports of voting irregularities in Chicago and
elsewhere in Illinois, with Green voters told by
pollworkers on Tuesday that no Green Party
ballots were available at their polling places,
or that they had to vote on suspect electronic
voting machines, even while other parties used
paper ballots.  More information:
http://www.gp.org/press/pr-state.php?ID=21

After the Super Tuesday primaries, Green
candidates will compete in the February 12
primary in the District of Columbia.  Currently,
21 state Green Parties hold ballot access within
their respective states.  Some Green Parties
chose presidential candidates by caucus voting
and by election of national convention delegates
at state party conventions.

The Green Party will hold its 2008 national
convention in Chicago from July 10 to 13.

SUPER TUESDAY PRIMARY RESULTS (as of Wednesday,
February 6)

ARKANSAS (8 delegates)
Polling Locations Reporting: 893 of 2081 (43%)
Last Update: February 6, 2:47 pm
http://www.arelections.org/index.php?ac:show:contest_statewide=1&elecid=151&contestid=3
• Jared Ball, 55 votes, 10.24% *
• Cynthia McKinney, 117 votes, 21.79%
• Kent Mesplay, 49 votes, 9.12%
• Kat Swift, 27 votes, 5.03%
• Uncommitted, 289 votes, 53.82%
Green Party of Arkansas:
http://arkgreens.kk5.org/
Media contacts:
Jim Lendall, Public Relations Co-chair,
jelendall at comcast.net
Rebekah Kennedy, Elections Co-chair,
misskennedyesq at yahoo.com

CALIFORNIA (168 delegates)
95.4% (22055 of 23109) precincts reporting as of
February 6, at 7:15 am
http://vote.sos.ca.gov/Returns/pres/grn/all.htm
• Kent Mesplay,  562 votes, 2.0%
• Jared Ball, 443 votes, 1.6% *
• Jesse Johnson, 506 votes, 1.8%
• Kat Swift, 842 votes, 3.0%
• Ralph Nader, 16,792 votes, 61.1% **
• Elaine Brown, 1,256 votes, 4.6% *
• Cynthia McKinney, 7,110 votes, 25.9%
Green Party of California:
http://www.cagreens.org/
Media contact:
Crescenzo Vellucci, Party Press Secretary,
916-996-9170, greenparty-press at comcast.net

ILLINOIS (44 delegates)
11264 of 11574 precincts Reporting - 97%
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/files/elections/2008/by_state/IL_President_0205.html?SITE=ILCHTELN&SECTION=POLITICS
• Cynthia McKinney, 1,446 votes, 57%
• Howie Hawkins, 438 votes, 17% **
• Kent Mesplay, 369 votes, 14%
• Jared Ball, 302 votes, 12% *
Illinois Green Party: http://www.ilgp.org
Media contacts:
Patrick Kelly, Media Coordinator, 773-203-9631,
media at ilgp.org
Phil Huckelberry, Chair, Government & Elections
Committee, 309-268-9974,
phil.huckelberry at ilgp.org

MASSACHUSETTS (32 delegates)
Official results not posted yet by the state:
check later at http://www.gp.org
Green-Rainbow Party of Massachusetts:
http://www.massgreens.org/
Media contact:
Eli Beckerman, Communications Director,
617-821-1453,
communications.director at green-rainbow.org

* Although their names remain on the ballot in
some states, Dr. Ball and Ms. Brown have
withdrawn from the Green presidential race.

** Mr. Hawkins is serving as a placeholder
candidate on the ballot for Mr. Nader in some
states until Mr. Nader announces his intentions
for the 2008 election; in other states, Mr. Nader
is on the ballot.

WEB SITES for Green presidential candidates,
competing as of February 6:
• Jesse Johnson
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mMxgYnmdHfg
• Cynthia McKinney http://www.runcynthiarun.org
http://www.americanblackout.org/
• Kent Mesplay http://www.mesplay.org
• Howie Hawkins http://www.draftnader.org
• Ralph Nader http://www.naderexplore08.org
(Exploratory Committee site)
• Kat Swift http://www.voteswift.org

MORE INFORMATION

Green Party of the United States
http://www.gp.org
202-319-7191, 866-41GREEN
Fax 202-319-7193
• Video of Green presidential candidates
http://www.gp.org/2008-elections/presidential-videos.php
• Green candidate database for 2007 and other
campaign information:
http://www.gp.org/elections.shtml
• Green Party News Center
http://www.gp.org/newscenter.shtml
• Green Party Speakers Bureau
http://www.gp.org/speakers
• Media credentialing
http://www.gp.org/committees/media/kit.shtml