by Ken Sain, D.C. Statehood Green Party
GreenPages, Vol 5, No.3
Three years ago, Audie Bock stunned many professional politicians by becoming the first Green Party candidate to win election to a state house seat.
It won't be such a surprise if another candidate does the same this year. A number of Green candidates are running strong campaigns for state house seats and are in position to win Nov. 5.
These candidates are earning endorsements from groups like the Sierra Club, Fraternal Order of Police and others that have in the past avoided candidates not from the Demorcratic or Republican parties. In fact, in a couple of cases the Green candidates were approached by the local Democratic party, asking them to run on their ticket.
"The Democrats wanted to nominate me, but a state statute said that, if I accepted the nomination, I would have been removed as a Green and become a Democrat subject to Democratic leadership if elected, so I declined," said John Battista, who is running for Connecticut's State House in District 67.
There is no Democrat running, so Battista believes he has a shot at winning.
So do other Greens. Maryland's Linda Schade and Arizona's Krystin Sinema have both earned the endorsements of local Sierra Clubs. Sinema has been endorsed by two local police organizations.
Greens say they are seeing the fruits of an election philosophy they have had in place for years: In high-profile campaigns, run to build the party, but in local campaigns, run to win.
Many Greens are winning at the city and county council level, where there are now a number of Green mayors around the country. Now, it appears they are ready to take the next step up and join Audie Bock on the list of elected Greens to state houses.
