Misplaced Pages

#433566

68-735: The Maine Green Independent Party is a state-level political party affiliated with the Green Party of the United States . It is the oldest state green party in the United States. It was founded following an informal meeting of 17 environmental advocates, including Bowdoin College professor John Rensenbrink and others in Augusta, Maine in January 1984. From 1994 to 2006, the party's gubernatorial nominees received between 6% and 10% of

136-610: A Democrat five months after his election. Fred Smith was elected to the Arkansas House of Representatives in 2012, but re-registered as a Democrat in 2014. In 2010, former Green Party leader Ben Chipman was elected to the Maine House of Representatives as an unenrolled candidate and was re-elected in 2012 and 2014. He has since registered as a Democrat, and is serving in the Maine Senate. Gayle McLaughlin

204-617: A collection of local green groups active since 1984. In 2001, the GPUS was officially founded as the ASGP split from the G/GPUSA. After its founding, the GPUS soon became the primary national green organization in the country, surpassing the G/GPUSA. John Rensenbrink and Howie Hawkins were co-founders of the Green Party. The Greens (as ASGP) first gained widespread public attention during

272-593: A community organizer and as a legislative aide, and as of 2018 he was working as an independent notary for real estate closings. Chipman worked as an aide in the Office of the Clerk at the Maine State House beginning in 2002. From 2009 to 2010, he served on Portland's Charter Commission, which was tasked with rewriting the city's charter , and from 2002 to 2006 he was a legislative aide to John Eder . Chipman

340-576: A focus on using public programs. Howie Hawkins focused his gubernatorial campaign on the Green New Deal, which was the first time the policy was introduced. Jill Stein also developed her presidential campaign based on the Green New Deal. The Green Party favors the abolition of the death penalty , repeal of three-strikes laws , banning of private prisons , legalization of marijuana , and decriminalization of other drugs . The Green Party advocates for "complete and full" reparations to

408-556: A member of the Green Party in the same year as Chapman, giving the Maine Green Independent Party and GPUS its second currently-serving state representative, though Bear is a nonvoting tribal member of the Maine House of Representatives. Though several Green congressional candidates have topped 20%, no nominee of the Green Party has been elected to office in the federal government. In 2016, Mark Salazar set

476-478: A more centralized structure by 1990, opening a national clearinghouse and forming governing bodies, bylaws and a platform as the Green Committees of Correspondence and by 1990 simply The Greens. The organization conducted grassroots organizing efforts, educational activities and electoral campaigns. Internal divisions arose between members who saw electoral politics as ultimately corrupting and supported

544-506: A new record for a Green Party nominee for Congress. Running in the Arizona 8th district against incumbent Republican Congressman Trent Franks , Salazar received 93,954 votes or 31.43%. With exception to state legislatures and major city councils, all other legislative bodies included in the following chronological table had/have more than two affiliated members simultaneously serving in office. Bold indicates race where Green candidate

612-556: A secretary and a treasurer to oversee daily operations. The National Committee performs most of its business online, but it also holds an annual national meeting to conduct business in person. Five Identity Caucuses have achieved representation on the GNC: Other caucuses have worked toward formal recognition by the GNC: The Green Party of the United States follows the ideals of green politics , which are based on

680-421: A smaller sector of small businesses and self-employed. Consumer goods and services would be sold to consumers in the market by cooperatives, public enterprises, and small businesses. Services that would be for free include health care, education, child care, and urban mass transit. Goods and services that would be available at low cost would include public housing, power, broadband, and water. Howie Hawkins who

748-529: A three-way race with Michael Brennan and Ethan Strimling . That year, only Holly Seeliger, who sought a second term on the Portland Board of Education, won her race. In 2016 only one Green collected enough signatures to run for statewide office, Seth Baker was on the ballot as a Green Independent for State Senate District 27 in Portland. In 2017, School Board member and YouTube vlogger Holly Seeliger

SECTION 10

#1732771794434

816-467: A wholesome and attractive contrast to the odious campaign finance practices of the money-dominated major parties. Over the years, some state Green parties have come to place less emphasis on the principle of self-imposed limits than they did in the past. Nevertheless, it is safe to say that Green Party fundraising (for candidates' campaigns and for the party itself) still tends to rely on relatively small contributions and that Greens generally decry not only

884-515: The 2000 Democratic primary . A 2020 New York Times article highlighted instances where supporters of a Republican candidate worked to get the Green Party on ballots in close races hoping that it would split votes away from Democratic candidate, including during the 2020 presidential election . Ben Chipman Chipman earned a degree in liberal arts from the University of Maine in 1997. His professional experience includes working as

952-409: The 2000 presidential election , when the ticket composed of Ralph Nader and Winona LaDuke won 2.7% of the popular vote, raising questions as to whether they spoiled the election in favor of George W. Bush . Nader has dismissed the notion that he and other Green candidates are spoilers. The political movement that began in 1985 as the decentralized Committees of Correspondence evolved into

1020-565: The African American community , as well the removal of the Confederate flag from all government buildings . The party supports same-sex marriage , the right of access to medical and surgical treatment for transgender and gender-nonconforming people, and withdrawing foreign aid to countries with poor LGBT+ rights records . The party opposes gender-critical feminism . The party supports youth rights . They reject

1088-627: The Four Pillars , namely: The Ten Key Values, which expand upon the Four Pillars, are as follows: The Green Party doesn't accept donations from corporations, political action committees (PACs), 527(c) organizations or soft money . The party's platforms and rhetoric harshly criticize corporate influence and control over government, media, and society at large. Progressive Era Repression and persecution Anti-war and civil rights movements Contemporary In 2016,

1156-487: The No Child Left Behind Act . They are strongly against the dissolution of public schools and the privatization of education . In 2006, the Green Party developed a Green New Deal that would ultimately serve as a transitional plan to a 100% clean , renewable energy including solar and wind energy by 2030 utilizing a carbon tax , jobs guarantee , tuition-free college, single-payer healthcare and

1224-701: The 2012 and 2016 Green Party nominee for the President of the United States, typically rely on smaller donations to fund their campaigns. The Green Party calls on the United States to join the International Criminal Court , and sign the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty and Non-Proliferation Treaty . Additionally, it supports cutting the defense budget in half, as well as prohibiting all arms sales to foreign countries . The Green Party supports

1292-527: The 2015 Iran nuclear deal to decrease sanctions while limiting Iran 's capacity to make nuclear weapons . The Green Party advocates for the Palestinian right of return and cutting all U.S. aid to Israel . It has also expressed support for the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement. The Green Party supports "...the creation of one secular, democratic state for Palestinians and Israelis on

1360-535: The 2018 primary, leaving the Green Independents without a candidate for the third straight gubernatorial election. Following Maine's enactment of Ranked Choice Voting for elections, the spoiler effect was eliminated as a barrier for third parties. In 2020, Green Senate nominee Lisa Savage received 4.95 percent of the vote, marking the best percentage for a third party in the state's history of electing Senate candidates (beginning in 1914). Unable to gather

1428-667: The City Council. Holly Seeliger, a 26-year-old former Occupier and education activist, won election to the School Board (formerly School Committee) from District 2, the same district Stephen Spring had served in years before. In March 2013, the Portland Green Independent Committee took out petitions to enact an ordinance which would make marijuana legal for adults 21 and older, though not in public spaces such as roads, schools and parks. Later,

SECTION 20

#1732771794434

1496-469: The Green Party passed a motion in favor of rejecting both capitalism and state socialism , supporting instead an "alternative economic system based on ecology and decentralization of power". The motion states the change that the party says could be described as promoting " ecological socialism ", " communalism ", or perhaps the "cooperative commonwealth". The Green Party rejection of both state socialism and capitalism and their promotion of communalism which

1564-577: The Green nomination for Governor of Maine in 2014 . Slagger addressed the 2013 Maine Green Independent Party Convention in Belfast on May 5. However, two months later, Slagger decided to withdraw from the race for governor. Two candidates filed to run for the Green nomination for Governor in 2018 : Bangor attorney Jay Parker Dresser, the 2016 Green candidate for Maine's 2nd congressional district , and activist Betsy Marsano of Waldo . Both withdrew before

1632-586: The Maine Green Party achieved ballot status in 1994 with the Jonathan Carter gubernatorial campaign, but lost it in 1997 after Ralph Nader failed to get 5% of the vote for president in 1996 , a requirement of state law that has since been changed. In 1998, Pat LaMarche re-qualified the political party with her campaign for governor, but under the new name, the Maine Green Independent Party. LaMarche ran again in 2006 capturing almost 10% of

1700-484: The Maine House in 2014, receiving nearly 60% of the vote in a three-way race. On September 4, 2015, Chipman announced that he was joining the Democratic Party . He stated that one of his priorities was to hold LePage accountable for his behavior, and by joining the majority party in the Maine House of Representatives, Chipman would be in a better position to accomplish that goal. He was one of three members of

1768-522: The Maine House of Representatives. She dropped out of the race after failing to receive enough signatures to qualify for the Green Independent primary ballot for governor. Patrick Quinlan also filed the paperwork to run for the nomination but eventually withdrew. In April 2014, former Maliseet tribal representative to the Maine House of Representatives and University of Maine graduate student David Slagger announced his intention to seek

1836-459: The Maine House who requested an investigation of LePage for using $ 530,000 of taxpayer funds to pressure a private school into firing their new president, a political rival of the Governor. The state's Government Oversight Committee unanimously voted to launch the investigation, and Chipman led an effort to impeach LePage. In January 2016, Republican House Speaker Ken Fredette's motion to preempt

1904-626: The November 5, 2013 ballot. On November 5, the Greens' legalization ordinance passed with 67% of the vote. That same year, Anna Trevorrow was elected to an at-large seat on the School Board, joining Holly Seeliger. In 2014, John Eder was elected to the School Board, bringing the total number of Greens on the board to 3 for the first time since 2004. In 2015, six Greens sought office in Portland, including committee chair and economic justice activist Tom MacMillan, who ran for mayor and received over 10% in

1972-497: The Pacific Coast, Upper Great Lakes, and Northeast, as reflected in the geographical distribution of Green candidates elected. As of June 2007 , Californians have elected 55 of the 226 office-holding Greens nationwide. Other states with high numbers of Green elected officials include Pennsylvania (31), Wisconsin (23), Massachusetts (18) and Maine (17). Maine has the highest per capita number of Green elected officials in

2040-710: The Portland Greens were joined by the ACLU of Maine , the NAACP , the Libertarian Party of Maine , Fire Dog Lake , and the Marijuana Policy Project in endorsing the measure. The petition needed 1,500 valid signatures of Portland voters over 80 calendar days. The Portland Greens and their coalition partners turned in 2,508 valid signatures. On July 15, the City Council placed the ordinance on

2108-418: The United States [REDACTED] [REDACTED] The Green Party of the United States ( GPUS ) is a federation of Green state political parties in the United States . The party promotes green politics , specifically environmentalism ; nonviolence ; social justice ; participatory democracy ; grassroots democracy ; anti-war ; anti-racism . As of 2023, it is the fourth-largest political party in

Maine Green Independent Party - Misplaced Pages Continue

2176-545: The United States by voter registration, behind the Libertarian Party . The direct predecessor of the GPUS was the Association of State Green Parties (ASGP). In the late 1990s, the ASGP, which formed in 1996, had increasingly distanced itself from the Greens/Green Party USA (G/GPUSA), America's then-primary green organization which had formed in 1991 out of the Green Committees of Correspondence,

2244-594: The United States to have had a Green Party majority in their town councils . Twin Ridges Elementary in Nevada County, California held the first Green Party majority school board in the United States. On September 21, 2017, Ralph Chapman , a member of the Maine House of Representatives , switched his party registration from unaffiliated to Green, providing the Green Party with their first state-level representative since 2014. Henry John Bear became

2312-773: The United States were affiliated with the Green Party. The party has not had any representation in federal or statewide offices. Previously in 2016, the majority of them were in California , several in Illinois , Connecticut , Maine , Massachusetts , Oregon , Pennsylvania , and Wisconsin , with five or fewer in ten other states. These included one mayor and one deputy mayor and fourteen county or city commissioners (or equivalent). The remainder were members of school boards, clerks and other local administrative bodies and positions. Several Green Party members have been elected to state-level office, though not always as affiliates of

2380-624: The United States, and from 2004 to 2006, significant media attention was attributed to conflicts between the committee's Greens and Democrats. The Greens successfully passed precedent-setting policy limiting military recruiters' access to city high schools, and were recognized by the National School Board Association. The Board of Trustees of the Portland Water District became the next governing body in Portland to have Green members, after Erek Gaines

2448-596: The country and the largest Green registration percentage with more than 29,273 Greens comprising 2.95% of the electorate as of November 2006 . Madison, Wisconsin is the city with the most Green elected officials (8), followed by Portland, Maine (7). The 2016 presidential campaign of Jill Stein got substantive support from counties and precincts with a high percentage of Native American population. For instance, in Sioux County (North Dakota, 84.1% Native American), Stein gained her best county-wide result: 10.4% of

2516-549: The early decades of Green organizing in the United States, the prevailing American system of money-dominated elections was universally rejected by Greens, so that some Greens were reluctant to have Greens participate in the election system at all because they deemed the campaign finance system inherently corrupt. Other Greens felt strongly that the Green Party should develop in the electoral arena and many of these Greens felt that adopting an alternative model of campaign finance, emphasizing self-imposed contribution limits, would present

2584-496: The electorate. As of November 6, 2012, 37,764 Maine voters were registered in the Maine Green Independent Party, representing 3.83% of the statewide electorate. As of August 31, 2017, enrollment in the MGIP had increased to 43,996 (4.23%) of Maine voters. In August 2015, the party decided to open its 2016 primary to unenrolled voters. The party realizes its greatest successes in the state's largest city, Portland. From 2002 to 2006,

2652-485: The expanded mayoral position, using the newly established instant run-off voting methods established by the charter commission and approved by voters the year before. In the closing days of the campaign, Eder endorsed fellow candidate and former Democratic State Senator Ethan Strimling , not party member Marshall, causing significant controversy within the Greens. Marshall ended up finishing in 4th place of 15 candidates. In 2012, David Marshall (District 2) won re-election to

2720-493: The highest-ranking elected Green in the United States was John Eder , who served in the Maine House of Representatives for Portland's West End neighborhood. Four of the state's elected Greens are Portland officeholders, including three School Committee members, and one City Councilor. According to the Green Party of the United States, Portland holds the longest streak of elected Green officeholders, having Greens in office continuously since 2001. The first Green elected in Portland

2788-420: The idea that young people are property of their parents or guardians. They support providing mothers with prenatal care . They oppose child abuse and neglect and support young people's rights to food , shelter , healthcare , and education . They support greater student input into their education and sex education and oppose advertisements in schools . They support lowering the voting age to 16. In

Maine Green Independent Party - Misplaced Pages Continue

2856-623: The impeachment was debated and the debate was tabled indefinitely. After a contentious Democratic primary in 2016, , Chipman won 53% of the vote in the Maine Senate District 27 three-way general election, and he was re-elected in 2018, 2020 and finally 2022. In April 2021, Chipman introduced LD #1123, "An Act To Authorize a Memorial to the Victims of COVID-19" authorizing the Capitol Park Commission to erect

2924-702: The land between the Mediterranean Sea and the River Jordan as the national home of both peoples, with Jerusalem as its capital." The Green Party called for a ceasefire in the Israel–Hamas war and condemned Israeli war crimes in the Gaza Strip . The Green Party's membership encompasses the fourth-highest percentage of registered voters in the United States, with a total membership of 234,120. The Green Party has its strongest popular support on

2992-518: The national political stage and those aiming to grow roots at the local level continued to widen during the 1990s. The Association of State Green Parties (ASGP) encouraged and backed Nader's presidential runs in 1996 and 2000. By 2001, the push to separate electoral activity from the G/GPUSA issue-based organizing led to the Boston Proposal and the subsequent rise of the Green Party of the United States. The G/GPUSA lost most of its affiliates in

3060-485: The new charter. They also supported extending voting rights in municipal elections to legal non-citizens. Trevorrow lead the 2010 campaign while also running for the East End seat in the Maine House of Representatives . Non-citizen voting was narrowly defeated as was Trevorrow. In 2009, Donoghue and Marshall were both re-elected to the city council. In the 2011 mayoral election , two Greens, (Eder and Marshall) ran for

3128-549: The next few months and dropped its FEC national party status in the year 2005. The Green Party has two national committees recognized by the Federal Election Commission (FEC): The GNC is composed of delegates elected by affiliated state parties. The state parties also appoint delegates to serve on the various standing committees of the GNC. The National Committee elects a steering committee of seven co-chairs,

3196-405: The nominee of the Green Party of the United States, on the statewide presidential ballot. The highest vote total came in 2000, when Ralph Nader received over 37,000 votes. The lowest vote total came in 2008, when Cynthia McKinney was the nominee. Her campaign received only 2,900 votes. Nader, who was also on the ballot as an independent candidate, received over 10,000 votes. Green Party of

3264-642: The notion of an "anti-party party" formed by Petra Kelly and other leaders of the Greens in Germany vs. those who saw electoral strategies as a crucial engine of social change. A struggle for the direction of the organization culminated in a "compromise agreement", ratified in 1990 at the Greens National Congress in Elkins, West Virginia and in which both strategies would be accommodated within

3332-481: The party. John Eder was elected to the Maine House of Representatives , re-elected in 2004, but defeated in 2006. Audie Bock was elected to the California State Assembly in 1999, but switched her registration to independent seven months later running as such in the 2000 election. Richard Carroll was elected to the Arkansas House of Representatives in 2008, but switched parties to become

3400-466: The repeal of the Hyde Amendment , an act that prohibits the use of federal taxpayer funds for abortions, unless in the cases of rape, incest, or to save the life of the mother. The Green Party calls for providing tuition-free college at public universities and vocational schools , increasing funding for after-school and daycare programs, cancelling all student loan debt , and repealing

3468-495: The requisite signatures to make the Green Independent primary ballot, Savage instead opted to run with the Independent ballot label. Her record-breaking vote share was credited partly to the state's ranked-choice voting system for statewide elections, first implemented in 2018. That year, K. Frederick Horch, the Green nominee for the Maine State House's 49th district, also came close to winning his race, receiving 48.06 percent of

SECTION 50

#1732771794434

3536-486: The rest of the country. The following is a list of accredited state parties which comprise the Green Party of the United States. The Green National Convention is scheduled in presidential election years and the Annual National Meeting is scheduled in other years. The Green National Committee conducts business online between these in-person meetings. As of July 2024 , 143 officeholders in

3604-495: The rise of the Super PACs , but also the big-money system, which some Greens criticize as plutocracy . Some Greens feel that the Green Party's position should be simply to follow the laws and regulations of campaign finance. Other Greens argue that it would injure the Green Party not to practice a principled stand against the anti-democratic influence of money in the political process. Candidates for office, like Jill Stein ,

3672-621: The same 527 political organization renamed the Greens/Green Party USA (G/GPUSA). It was recognized by the FEC as a national political party in 1991. The compromise agreement subsequently collapsed and two Green Party organizations co-existed in the United States until 2019 when the Greens/Green Party USA was dissolved. The Green Politics Network was organized in 1990 and the National Association of Statewide Green Parties formed by 1994. Divisions between those pressing to break onto

3740-493: The vote against a Democratic opponent, with no Republican on the ballot. This marked the first time a Green candidate had come to winning a seat in a contested state legislature election since 2010, when a Green legislative nominee in Massachusetts received 45 percent of the vote. Since 1996, the national Green Party has run a candidate for President of the United States. In 1996, the Maine Green Party placed Ralph Nader ,

3808-459: The vote in a five-way race. The campaign's website was indexed by the Library of Congress and won a Golden Dot Award, because of the site's use of new ways to interact with voters. The party (in terms of registered votes) is currently in a period of continuous growth stretching back to 1998 according to state records. As of December 4, 2008 there were 31,676 Greens in the state comprising 3.19% of

3876-413: The vote, defeating Adams and Republican Gwen Tuttle. He was joined by fellow unenrolled lawmakers Jeffrey Evangelos , Joseph E. Brooks and James J. Campbell in the Maine House. In January 2013, Chipman, Brooks and Evangelos met with Governor Paul LePage to discuss balancing the state budget. During the meeting, LePage grew agitated, used profanity and abruptly exited. Chipman was re-elected to

3944-555: The vote. On September 21, 2017, state representative Ralph Chapman switched party affiliation from independent to the Green Independent Party. He did not stand for re-election in 2018 because he was term-limited. A month later, non voting member Henry John Bear also switched his party affiliation to the Green Independent Party from the Democratic Party . The party is based on the 10 Key Values of: The party achieved its current ballot status in 1998. Previously

4012-464: The votes. In Rolette County (also North Dakota, 77% Native American), she got 4.7% of the votes. Other majority Native American counties where Stein did above state average are Menominee (WI), Roosevelt (MT) and several precincts in Alaska . At its peak in 2004, the Green Party had 319,000 registered members in states allowing party registration and tens of thousands of members and contributors in

4080-538: Was Ben Meiklejohn in 2001, as an at-large School Committee member. In 2002, city voters elected their second Green, Eder to the State Legislature. Meiklejohn was joined on the School Committee by Stephen Spring in 2003, Jason Toothaker in 2004 (a year Meiklejohn was re-elected), Susan Hopkins in 2005 and Rebecca Minnick in 2006. The School Committee was once the second "Greenest" governing body in

4148-481: Was a founding member of the Portland Green Independent Committee. Chipman first ran for Maine House District 119, representing Portland's Parkside, Bayside, and East Bayside neighborhoods, in 2010. Throughout his first term, he was the only independent in the Maine House of Representatives. In 2012, Chipman faced Herb Adams (politician) , who had held the District 119 seat until 2010. He was re-elected with 54% of

SECTION 60

#1732771794434

4216-403: Was created by libertarian socialist Murray Bookchin places the Green Party into the ideology of libertarian socialism . The eco-socialist economy the Green Party of the United States wants to create is similar to the market socialist mutualist economics of Proudhon which consists of a large sector of democratically controlled public enterprises, a large sector of cooperative enterprises, and

4284-613: Was criticized for giving credence to conspiracy theories including Pizzagate and the Murder of Seth Rich . Lynne Williams , a lawyer from Bar Harbor and former chair of the Party, announced that she intended to seek the Green Independent Party nomination for Governor of Maine in the June 2010 primary . Williams served on the planning board in Bar Harbor, Maine and was a 2004 candidate for

4352-554: Was elected in 2003 and David Margolis-Pineo in 2006. In 2006, Portland elected two under-30 Green councilors (David A. Marshall and Kevin Donoghue) in the inner city West End and East End districts. In 2007, John Anton was elected at-large, which brought the number of Greens on the Portland City Council to three. Both Anton and Donoghue later unenrolled from the party while serving their terms. In 2008, John Eder

4420-478: Was elected to office Campaigns run by the Green Party have been seen by some analysts and academics as tossing the election outcomes in favor of Republican candidates – most notably George W. Bush in 2000 and Donald Trump in 2016 . In 2019, former Green presidential candidate Ralph Nader told the Washingtonian that, while he still does not consider himself a spoiler, he regretted not entering

4488-472: Was elected to the Cumberland County Charter Commission. June to December 2009 marked a period when the most number of elected Greens in Portland (9) were serving simultaneously with overlapping terms, after Portland Charter Commission members were elected. For the rewriting of the Portland charter, Greens Anna Trevorrow and Ben Chipman won seats on the Portland Charter Commission in June 2009. The two successfully pushed to include instant run-off voting in

4556-404: Was nominated by the Green Party to run for president of the United States in 2020 identifies as a libertarian socialist . The Green Party supports the implementation of a single-payer healthcare system and the abolition of private health insurance in the United States. They have also called for contraception and abortion procedures to be available on demand. The Green Party has called for

4624-405: Was twice elected mayor of Richmond, California , defeating two Democrats in 2006 and then reelected in 2010; and elected to City Council in 2014 after completing her second term as mayor. With a population of over 100,000 people, it was the largest American city with a Green mayor. Fairfax, California ; Arcata, California ; Sebastopol, California ; and New Paltz, New York are the only towns in

#433566