Malik Rahim: The results

Yesterday New Orleans held its elections, delayed as a reult of the effects of Hurricane Gustav.  Results of the races can be viewed on The Louisiana Secretary of State’s website and also at WWL Radio‘s website.

Green Party member Malik Rahim ran a strong race despite a media blackout on his campaign.

Marnie Glickman, Founder and Executive Director of Green Change , and who spearheaded a volunteer phone banking effort, writes:

Our dedicated phone team dialed 2,309 phone numbers, spoke with 334  voters and left messages with 847 households.

With all precincts reporting in, according to information from the above websites, Malik received 3% of the vote, or 1,880 votes.

The news items published to date (see list below) do not mention Malik Rahim’s campaign.  In this particular race, the Democratic incumbent, William J. Jefferson, was defeated by little known lawyer Repulican Anh Cao.  Jefferson’s public career (this would have been his 10th term) was likely affected by his indictment and pending trial on corruption charges.  The NY Times reports that analyses of the race indicate that the Republican win is probably the result of a large white voter turnout:

In heavily white precincts, turnout was about 26 percent, while it was only about 12 percent in the heavily black precincts, said Greg Rigamer, a New Orleans demographer and analyst.

Independent News Sites did post scattered articles on Malik’s race:

“I” Report:  Malik Rahim: Another Candidate in Louisiana’s 2nd District

Other News Items about this Congressional Race in NOLA:

New York Times:   Voters Oust Indicted Congressman in Louisiana

Associated Press Brief

CNN:  Indicted Louisiana congressman loses re-election bid

BBC: Vietnam-born lawyer wins US poll

Politico: Holy Cao: Republican defeats Jefferson

Assorted other links from Google News

 

In Final Days of Congressional Campaign, Green Party Candidate Fights

Local Media Blackout in New Orleans
By Jason Neville
December 4, 2008 | Posted in IndyBlog , National

In the years following the collapse of the federal levees after Hurricane Katrina, activist Malik Rahim was busy organizing one of the most influential recovery organizations in the Gulf South. The organization he founded and currently leads, Common Ground Collective, was gutting houses and providing medical and legal services to tens of thousands of New Orleans residents.

His work was so prolific that it was featured on 60 minutes, ABC News, Democracy Now!, and a host of other shows.

“I’m from New Orleans, and I stayed here after the flood to serve my community, at a time when neglect from the federal government was as chilling as it was apparent,” said Rahim.

Even the local paper in New Orleans the Times-Picayune featured him in an article after the storm, stating that his work was “so far- reaching that it has brought over 10,000 volunteers to New Orleans since the city was devastated by Hurricane Katrina.”

But the media coverage ended once he decided to run for office this fall.

 

Greens to Cynthia McKinney and Rosa Clemente: Thank You.

Dear Cynthia McKinney, Rosa Clemente, Lucy Grider-Bradley, John Judge and the 2008 Power to the People Campaign…

We are delegates and alternates of the Green National Committee of the Green Party of the United States as well as other Greens from around the country who want to convey our most heartfelt and deepest appreciation to you for running for president on behalf of the Green Party.

We know it was not easy for you and that you sacrificed on many levels. We admire your courage and the light you generated throughout your campaign in spite of it.

Through it all, we got to know you, Rosa, Lucy and John better and the communities you represent – Black, Latina/o-Hispanic, Hip Hop, Women, Reconstruction Party. While we may not have broken through to the White House, achieved 5% of the vote, or won state ballot access for 2012, we have broken through other barriers that are very important to Green Party success. Together, we have brought people who typically are separate closer together.

We fervently hope all of you will work within the Green Party to achieve greater inclusion and to spread it throughout the Party. There are many many opportunities for everyone. We don’t promise that it will be easy, but you will find many supporters. You will also find a party that has built structures upon which much can be done to achieve these goals and many others necessary to someday become the viable party this country and world so badly needs. The Green Party is unique among parties in that it is a global party existing in almost 90 countries, all sharing the same values and working together to bring about change.

We extend our deepest appreciation for your historic Green Party campaign, your choice of Rosa Clemente as a running mate, for John Judge who handled an enormous amount of media, the incredible Lucy Grider-Bradley in charge of finances and the FEC and to everyone on your campaign team. Most of all. we appreciated the experience of our forces being joined and bonded. We have been deeply touched, our awareness expanded and our hopes strengthened.

As the country acclaims the historical event of the first African American elected President of the United States, we hail history with you, your campaign, the people it brought together and the choice it gave on the ballot. How proud we were to mark you and Rosa on our ballots.

Let us go to the future together. Let us make that future together.

View signatories

Sign the letter

 

This is what Democracy looks like: Full Ballot Status

by Claudia Ellquist, Arizona GP CoChair

Citizens, concerned about the state of the country and the world,  have long used blogs, 501c3s,  lobbying groups, and candidate- endorsement PACs  to reach politicians from the over-represented  parties. But
those politicians have underfunded good works, ignored  good ideas, dismissed citizen demands, and cloned their successors.  In the end, when one has done one’s best good deeds, had a say on the  Internet,
written, called and lobbied recalcitrant lawmakers, and  rated the offerings from the over-represented political parties and  found them to be more of the same, what does one do? There is only  one effective
challenge left: organize as a political party and meet  the other parties at the ballot box.

Our national candidates have it right: The Green Party is no longer the Alternative. It is the Imperative.

It isn’t easy, but it is necessary. As of today, the Green Party can possibly get ballot lines in 38 of the 51 states[including the District of Columbia]. Every state has different challenges about getting and maintaining ballot lines, so there is no one-size-fits- all plan for achieving it. But to not seek ballot status is to reduce  the Green Party to another chat room. So here are a few words about  how Arizona succeeded.

1. We built capacity in the off time, hosted the GP-US Annual  National Meeting, ran local candidates and published critiques of  ballot measures — all to show Greens and potential Greens that a  targeted
effort could lead somewhere, that we are part of a bigger organization, and that there is a reason to act.

2. We counted the cost and created a plan:

–What were the legal requirements? (Look at statutes/ Ask Secretary  of State/ask other groups that are petitioning.)

–How much would it cost to print the petitions? (Get bids from  printers.)

–After the easy signatures, what events could we go to, for more signatures?

–Who would keep the calendar, and the volunteer list, and would  emailthe reminders? (One person in each community.)
–What resistance would we likely encounter, and how would we deal  with it? (Don’t waste time arguing, have a FAQ sheet for sincere  questions. But don’t pass stuff out– those who take lit, do not sign.)
–How many signatures a week, gathered by steady effort, establish  that we are serious, and not wasting people’s time? (Goal plus  cushion, divided by time allotted.)
–Where to go for allies? (Out-of-town caravans/ paid circulators/petitioners for initiatives, or candidates, as the “flip side” rubberbanded to the back of their primary petition.)
–Who keeps count, and what protocol prevents double-count? (No petition is added in until it is in hand.)

3. Then a core of us committed to overcoming our societal barriers, approaching strangers, smiling charmingly, and asking for a favor in the name of democracy. The line I found to be quick and persuasive
was: “Hi, would you sign our petition so that the Green Party can  have our candidates’ names appear on the ballot, and YOU will have  MORE CHOICES on ELECTION DAY.” Many signers were frowning their  reluctance, until I got to the part about them and their choices.  Working in pairs was best, but I set personal weekly goals, to get  me out the door, even if nobody else could go on the night when folks
would be standing in line at the concert hall. I publicly thanked my colleagues, by name and numbers, every week, to keep our pace, and feel the progress.

4. We made shamelessly frequent requests for financial support and  for more petitioners. We provided homestays for out-of-town Greens  and saw that they were hydrated, fed, thanked and made to feel part  of a full-push effort. We paired with them, being right there to back  them up when they ran into snags, and shared the successes. In the  end these Greens made the margin of difference. Several, like Cat and
Danene, were Nader supporters, who were conflicted when Nader went  his separate way, and yet, they stayed and worked hard for our Green signatures. Others were McKinney folks or uncommitteds, who took
seriously our promise, nationwide, to offer her ballot lines. Thanks Charlie, Craig and Brian. Three were candidates themselves– Jesse Johnson, Kent Mesplay, Kat Swift– who paid their own way to trudge
along at our side, asking for signatures.

5. Giving back: We recruited local candidates, so everybody would  ride the shared coattail. We gave money back to the GP-US Ballot  Access Committee, to help the next state. We sent a carload of petitioners to
Texas and planned to send a crackerjack signature solicitor to Utah.

Because we ARE more than an alternative. The Green Party is The Imperative.

 

Green Party racks up Election Day 2008 victories, new percentage records

From the GPUS press release issued November 11, 2008

Richard Carroll elected to Arkansas statehouse; new Green records set in congressional races; third Green mayor elected in California

Running tally of Green election victories:
http://www.gp.org/2008-elections/election-results.html

Green candidate news: http://www.gp.org/2008-elections/candidate-news.php
Green Party elections database: http://www.gp.org/elections/candidates/index.php

he Green Party’s 2008 candidates for the US House doubled the number of votes they received collectively from the number received in 2006, while over one million US voters voted for at least one Green candidate in the 2008 election.

The total number of votes for Green US House candidates (568,791 so far; compared to 252,550 in 2006) will rise further after the December 6 postponed election in New Orleans, Louisiana, where Green candidate Malik Rahim is running in District 2 (http://www.votemalik.com) for a seat currently held by William Jefferson, who is under federal indictment. The Green Party is still awaiting final vote counts in some races around the US.

A new record was set for a Green candidate running for the US House, when Deb McFarland finished second in an Arkansas District 2 race with 64,622 votes or 23.33%. Rebekah Kennedy apparently set a new percentage record for a Green running for the US Senate, with 202,016 votes or 20.59% (results not official) in her Arkansas race. Along with Richard Carroll’s state legislature victory (see below), Arkansas Greens showed the most dramatic electoral growth of any state Green Party (http://www.arkgreens.org).

Read more

 

Green candidate expresses thanks

Posted in the Susquehanna Independent Weekender

I would like to publicly thank all of those who contributed in any way to my campaign for Representative in the General Assembly in the 111th district

I will continue to work with like minded individuals and organizations to achieve the goals of the Green Party including preserving democracy, advancing social justice, protecting the environment and promoting non-violence.

Jay Sweeney,
Falls Township

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State Green Party wins mayor spot, may put 2 on SF Board of Supervisors, and amass at least 5 wins statewide after Tuesday’s election

News Advisory
THE GREEN PARTY OF CALIFORNIA www.cagreens.org

SACRAMENTO:  The Green Party will assume the No. 1 elected office in another California city, and may yet have two members on the powerful San Francisco Board of Supervisors after preliminary results were announced for Tuesday’s election.

Greens, who already hold about 50 elected posts throughout the state, claimed at least five victories, including one for mayor, one for the SF Board of Supervisors. .

Bruce Delgado, a former city councilperson in Marina in Monterey County, garnered 2,401 votes, or 51.92 percent of the vote to become mayor of Marina in Monterey County. He joins other Green Party mayors – elected Richmond Mayor Gayle McLaughlin and Craig Litwin, appointed mayor in Sebastopol.

In San Francisco, incumbent Ross Mirkarimi retained his spot on the Board of Supervisors with a whopping 77 percent of the vote. Mark Sanchez, current president of the SF Board of Education, was second in his district race for the board, but tens of thousands of votes are yet to be counted, and ranked choice voting may push him into a seat.

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Green Party Political Director Addresses OSCE

Green Party Political Director Brent McMillan addressed the  Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for Security and Cooperation  in Europe (OSCE.) on Friday, October 31st.  According to Brent:

Approximately 100 Parliamentarians from Europe and  Central Asia are about to disembark around the country to observe the  U.S. Elections over the next several days (Nov. 1 – 4.) Joao Soares,  President of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, Head of the Election  Observation Mission to the U.S. was quite struck by what I had to say in  September and this time I was invited back with a much larger time slot.  (He is also a member of the Portuguese Parliament.)

What follows is the text of Brent’s speech:

OSCE PA Observers – Election Briefing
Oct. 31, 2008
Presentation by Brent McMillan

Good Evening Ladies and Gentlemen, thank you for this opportunity to
address the Parliamentary Assembly.

The Green Party of the United States is a relatively young party. On
November 08, 2001 The Federal Election Commission (FEC) issued a
unanimous opinion recognizing the Green Party of the United States as
the National Committee of the Green Party.

I have been in my current position as political director since Feb. 11
of 2004. I am a co-founder of the Green Party of Seattle (1997) and the
Green Party of Washington State (2000). I have been engaged in Green
Party organizing since 1991.

We currently have about 230 elected officeholders.

We are running approximately 300 candidates this year.

We have state committees in most, but not all states.

So far we have won over 50% of our elections this year which is
outstanding for a ‘third party.’ This is the farthest into an election
cycle that we have gone with over a 50% win rate.

We face many challenges as a third party in a winner take all system.

 

Green Party Poised to Collect Big Victories in State On Nov. 4

published on the News Blaze

Twenty-three members of the Green Party are on the California ballot Tuesday – including presidential candidate Cynthia McKinney – with the party poised to collect several big victories, including two supervisor seats in San Francisco. Greens already hold about 50 elected posts throughout the state.

In all, Greens have, in addition to McKinney for President, six candidates for city council or mayor positions, including city council candidates Bob Nanninga (Encinitas), Linda Piera-Avila (Santa Monica) and Jon Mann (Santa Monica); and mayoral candidates former Marina City Councilperson Bruce Delgado (Marina), Kahil Jacobs-Fantauzzi (Berkeley) and Ivan Olsen (Gonzalez).

Greens are also fielding seven congressional candidates, including Carol Wolman (CD1), Dave Heller (CD9), Barry Hermanson (CD12), Carol Brouillet (CD14), Peter Myers (CD15), Phil Rockey (CD19) and Tom Lash (CD46).

Read more about the rest of the candidates in this year’s California races and the propositions that the California Green Party is supporting.

 

Nebraska Green Party’s Larrick Seeks Cleaner World

Candidate Challenging Johanns, Kleeb In Senate Race

published on KETV7 Omahan’s website

Steve Larrick, the Green Party’s candidate for the U.S. Senate seat in Nebraska, said his campaign is all about peace and fixing the environment.

“We really feel our country needs to invest in green technologies and green solutions to our challenges,” Larrick said. “We could begin to reduce our dependence on wars for oil, and we could build a whole new economy with local materials being used in the production process.”

Larrick said his message, and that of the Green Party, is clear: Fix Washington, fix America and fix the environment.

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