Green National Convention

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The Green National Convention is the presidential nominating convention of the Green Party of the United States (GPUS). Though the Green National Committee (GNC) meets annually in a "national meeting", the convention is convened by the GNC once every four years in order to nominate an official candidate in the upcoming U.S. presidential election, and to officially adopt the party platform and rules for the election cycle.

Contents

The convention signals the end of the primary season for Greens, and the start of campaigning for the general election of that year; as such, prominent Greens in state and local races are also spotlighted in order to give them the publicity that the convention affords. In contrast to the Republican and Democratic National Conventions, the convention is not merely a formality which endorses the will of the electorate in the primaries, but the final determinant for the nomination. This is because ballot access laws in many states prohibit the Green Party from holding a state-sponsored primary election—only five states were able to meet the requirements in 2004—and others prevent voters from actually registering into the party, thus making it difficult to credential Greens.

History

The leadership of the first nationwide Green organization in the United States, The Greens/Green Party USA (G/GPUSA), were generally opposed to an entry into electoral politics. Thus, the G/GPUSA's national meeting in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in 1995 ended with a resolution not to nominate a candidate for the 1996 election. This resolution was countered by a group of Greens interested in a run by consumer advocate Ralph Nader, who met in Los Angeles in 1996 to nominate Nader for president and Winona LaDuke for vice president. Although possibly lacking official sanction, this was the first nominating convention of the Green Party in the United States, and the only one with which the G/GPUSA, if only certain members, was at all involved.

Following the general election in 1996, several state Green Parties formed the Association of State Green Parties (ASGP). [1] As such, they met in Denver, Colorado, in 2000 to once again nominate Nader and LaDuke. [2]

In 2001, the ASGP formally adopted the name Green Party of the United States, and was recognized by the Federal Election Commission as the official National Committee of the Green Party. The first convention under that name, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in 2004, was not without controversy. Nader decided to forgo the Green nomination in favor of asking for an "endorsement" of his independent candidacy; the Greens instead nominated David Cobb for president on the second ballot from among a number of candidates, many of whom were "favorite sons", running as placeholders for Nader. Pat LaMarche was named the vice presidential candidate.

List of Green conventions

The following is a list of United States Green Party presidential nominating conventions.

Green conventions by year, with dates, location and nominees
YearDatesLocationNomination venuePresidential nomineeVice presidential nominee
1996 1August 19 Los Angeles Freud Playhouse [3] Ralph Nader of Connecticut Winona LaDuke of Minnesota
2000 2June 24–25 Denver Renaissance Denver Stapleton Hotel [4] Ralph Nader of Connecticut Winona LaDuke of Minnesota
2004 June 23–28 Milwaukee Midwest Airlines Center [5] David K. Cobb of California Patricia H. LaMarche of Maine
2008 July 10–13 Chicago [6] Symphony Center [7] Cynthia McKinney of Georgia Rosa Clemente of New York
2012 July 12–15 Baltimore Holiday Inn Baltimore-Inner Harbor (Dwtn) [8] Jill Stein of Massachusetts Cheri Honkala of Pennsylvania
2016 August 4–7 Houston University of Houston [9] Jill Stein of Massachusetts Ajamu Baraka of Illinois
2020 July 9–12n/aOnline Howie Hawkins of New York Angela Walker of South Carolina
2024 August 15-18n/aOnline [10] Jill Stein of Massachusetts TBD

1 The 1996 meeting was not an official meeting of The Greens/Green Party USA, which had officially voted to nominate no candidate in Albuquerque in 1995.
2 Convened by the Association of State Green Parties, later to be renamed the Green Party of the United States.

Other national meetings

In addition to the presidential nominating convention, there is a national meeting in all other years for the party. During the era of the Association of State Green Parties, separate annual meetings were held in the same year of presidential conventions. Since 2004, the presidential convention has consolidated annual meetings during presidential election years. [11]

Green Party of the United States

Meetings of GPUS
YearLocationSiteNotes
2020Presidential nominating convention
2019 Salem, Massachusetts Salem State University Theme: "Change Comes from the Roots" [12]
2018 Salt Lake City, Utah University of Utah Slogan: "UTAH! – Power Up Green!"
2017 Newark, New Jersey New Jersey Institute of Technology
2016Presidential nominating convention
2015 St. Louis, Missouri University of Missouri–St. Louis
2014 St. Paul, Minnesota Macalester College
2013 Iowa City, Iowa University of Iowa
2012Presidential nominating convention
2011 Alfred, New York Alfred University Theme: "Building a Green Economy"
2010 Detroit, Michigan Wayne State University Theme: "Another U.S. Is Possible, Another Party Is Necessary"
2009 Durham, North Carolina North Carolina Central University
2008Presidential nominating convention
2007 Reading, Pennsylvania Abraham Lincoln HotelTheme: "Green For A Change"
2006 Tucson, Arizona Historic YWCA Building Theme: "El Futuro es Verde -- The Future is Green"
2005 Tulsa, Oklahoma University of Tulsa
2004Presidential nominating convention
2003 Washington, D.C. Mayflower Hotel Theme: "Greens at the Crossroads"
2002 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania [ data missing ]Midterm convention
2001 Santa Barbara, California La Casa de Maria, Interfaith RetreatFounding meeting of GPUS

Association of State Green Parties

Meetings of ASGP
YearLocationSiteNotes
2000 Hiawassee, Georgia Enota Retreat & Conference Center Post-election meeting
1999 Moodus, Connecticut Sunrise Resort State Park Ralph Nader, speaker and 1996 nominee
1998 Santa Fe, New Mexico [ data missing ]Keynote speakers:
Fran Sena Gallegos, Santa Fe Municipal Judge
Jason Kirkpatrick, vice mayor of Arcata, CA
1997
(Oct.)		 Topsham, Maine Topsham Grange Hall
1997
(Apr.)		 Portland, Oregon [ data missing ]Delegates from 13 states plus D.C.
1996 Middleburg, Virginia Glen-Ora Farm Founding meeting of ASGP

See also

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References

  1. ↑ "Association of State Green Parties «". gp.org. Archived from the original on 2010-06-15.
  2. ↑ "The GPCO in 2000". 30 April 2011.
  3. ↑ Green Party 1996 Convention: Building Critical Mass – Green Party of the United States. Retrieved November 29, 2019
  4. ↑ "Media Invitation: Green Party Presidential Nominating Convention," Green Party of the United States, Tuesday, May 30, 2000. Retrieved November 29, 2019
  5. ↑ "Green Party Congratulates and Welcomes Presidential Nominee David Cobb, Vice Presidential Nominee Pat LaMarche," Green Party of the United States news release, Saturday, June 26, 2004. Retrieved November 29, 2019
  6. ↑ 2007.08.30: Greens choose Chicago for 2008 Archived 2009-03-24 at the Wayback Machine
  7. ↑ Green Party 2008 Convention Schedule – Green Party of the United States. Retrieved November 29, 2019
  8. ↑ Green Party 2012 Convention Schedule – Green Party of the United States. Retrieved November 29, 2019
  9. ↑ 2016 Annual National Meeting / Presidential Nominating Convention – Green Party of the United States. Retrieved November 29, 2019
  10. ↑ "National Meetings", Green Party US.
  11. ↑ "Annual National Meetings".
  12. ↑ "GreenLine March 2019".
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