| WASHINGTON
- October 30 - Several state Green Parties
affiliated with the Green Party of the United
States have begun to hold party forums and
candidate debates in preparation for the 2004
presidential election.
The national Presidential Nominating Convention
of the Green Party of the United States will take
place in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, June 24-27.
"The decision will be made democratically at the
convention with the participation of all the
state Green Parties that are accredited with the
Green Party of the United States, through the
votes of their state party delegates," explained
Ben Manski, Wisconsin Green and co-chair of the
national party. "As in every political party,
there are different opinions about who the
nominee should be and the best campaign strategy
but the party will unite at the convention.
That's how parties work."
At their annual fall meeting in Whitewater,
members of the Wisconsin Green Party unanimously
endorsed a statement calling on the Green Party
of the United States to run a strong presidential
campaign in 2004, while also maintaining focus on
races at the local, state, and federal levels.
In so doing, Wisconsin Greens joined the Green
Party of Michigan in staking out such a position
early on in the Green Party primaries.
The Rhode Island Green Party held a forum on
October 19; Greens from Massachusetts,
Connecticut, and Rhode Island met on September
28, with a strong majority favoring a Green
presidential run. Iowa Greens held a strategy
forum in August, with similar results.
Five Green candidates have declared for 2004:
David Cobb (from Texas, currently residing in
California), Paul Glover (New York), Kent Mesplay
(California), Carol Miller (New Mexico), and
Lorna Salzman (New York). Ralph Nader, the
party's 2000 candidate, has told the party that
he will announce his intentions by January 1st;
former Georgia Rep. Cynthia McKinney remains a
possible candidate.
At the national party's July meeting inWashington, D.C., nearly all state delegates,
national officers, and activists who attended
expressed a preference for preparing to run a
presidential candidate. These discussions are
nonbinding, and further strategy discussions are
continuing in some parts of the country.
The Green Party of the United States held the
2000 convention at which Mr. Nader was nominated
and is recognized by the Federal Election
Commission as the national committee of the Green
Party. 43 state Green Parties are now accredited
with the Green Party of the United States.
NOTE: Quick election results for Greens in the
November 4, 2003 races will be posted at this link. Reporters are advised to check stories about the Green Party's policies, platform, events, etc. with the national party or with affiliated state Green Parties.
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