Green Party of Rhode Island

Last updated
Green Party of Rhode Island
Founded1992;31 years ago (1992)
Headquarters37 Sixth Street Providence, RI 02906
Ideology Green politics
Progressivism
Social democracy
National affiliationIndependent-Green Party US (2020–present)
Green Party (2001–2020) [1]
Colors Green
Seats in the Upper House
0 / 38
Seats in the Lower House
0 / 75
Website
www.rigreens.org

The Green Party of Rhode Island (GPRI) is one of the oldest active Green parties in the United States. The party was founded on March 6, 1992, at a meeting of 40 activists from Rhode Island. In November 1996, GPRI was one of 12 founding parties in the Association of State Green Parties, renamed the Green Party of the United States in 2001. Several Rhode Island party leaders have served as officers of the national Green Party. The party's candidates have run for municipal councils in several cities and towns, such as running for Mayor of Providence, the State Senate and the State House of Representatives, U.S. Congress, and for Lieutenant governor.

Contents

History

The Green Party of Rhode Island was founded by a meeting of 40 Green activists on March 6, 1992.

Campaign 1994

In 1994, Green candidate Jeff Johnson of South Kingstown, Rhode Island gained about 6% of the vote in an election for lieutenant governor. To date, no statewide election has matched that vote share result for a Green candidate. Johnson also ran for State House of Representatives in 1996 and for Lieutenant governor again in 1998, receiving a lesser share of the vote. [2]

Campaign 1996 and 2000

In November 1996, GPRI was one of 12 founding parties in the Association of States Green Parties, renamed the Green Party of the United States in 2001.

In the 1996 and 2000 presidential elections, GPRI put Ralph Nader on the Rhode Island ballot for U.S. President, and Nader's vote share in 2000 (6.12%) was enough to win major party status for the GPRI. [3]

Campaign 2004

In June 2004 GPRI hosted a diplomatic visit by Miguel Angel Pimentel, President of the Green Party of Democratic Unity in the Dominican Republic. That same year the Green Party of the United States's presidential nominee, David Cobb, failed to win at least 5% in Rhode Island, and GPRI lost major party status. [3]

Campaign 2008

Former Georgia Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney attended the party's state convention in 2007, recruiting volunteers for her 2008 presidential campaign. McKinney won 6 of 8 Rhode Island delegates in the 2008 Green caucus in Rhode Island, [4] but ultimately received less than 1% of the vote in the 2008 U.S. Presidential election in Rhode Island. [3]

Campaign 2012

In the 2012 Presidential election, the party supported Jill Stein's presidential candidacy. Stein and her running mate, Cheri Honkala, officially gained ballot access on September 13, 2012. [5]

Campaign 2016

In May 2016, the party nominated Jill Stein for President. [6]

Campaign 2020

In May 2020, the party decided to suspend its 2020 presidential campaign, due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and the state's refusal to relax in-person petitioning. Publicly, the party issued a press release about the importance of defeating Donald Trump, instead of supporting in party-lines via helping from the state Green Party's involvement for the Party's primary season. A group in support of the Hawkins-Walker 2020 presidential campaign filed a complaint with the national party’s Accreditation Committee [7] while simultaneously gathering ballot petition signatures in Rhode Island.

The resulting controversy ultimately led the party to resign its affiliation with the Green Party of the United States, and return to its 1992-2001 status as an unaffiliated Green Party. [8]

See also

Related Research Articles

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; libertarian socialism and eco-socialism. On the political spectrum, the party is generally seen as left-wing. As of 2022, it is the fourth-largest political party in the United States by voter registration, behind the Libertarian Party.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Green-Rainbow Party</span> Massachusetts political party

The Green-Rainbow Party (GRP) is the Massachusetts affiliate of the Green Party of the United States and a political designation in Massachusetts officially recognized by the Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Up until 2020, it was an officially recognized political party in Massachusetts, losing that status as the result of vote tallies in the November 2020 election.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Illinois Green Party</span> Illinois affiliate of the Green Party

The Illinois Green Party is a statewide political party in Illinois. The party is state affiliate of the Green Party of the United States. Its stated mission and purpose are to advance the Ten Key Values of the Green Party in Illinois through political means and to support individual members and the formation of Green Party locals.

The Green Party of Pennsylvania is the Pennsylvania state party affiliate of the Green Party of the United States. Since 2016, the party is again recognized as a minor political party under Pennsylvania law due to receiving the required voter turnout in the 2016 election.

The Green Party of Ohio is the state party organization for Ohio of the Green Party of the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cynthia McKinney 2008 presidential campaign</span>

The 2008 presidential campaign of Cynthia McKinney, member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Georgia's 11th district (1993–97) and 4th district, began on December 16, 2007, as a candidate for the Green Party presidential nomination via YouTube. She and her running mate Rosa Clemente accepted the Green Party's presidential nomination July 12, 2008 at the 2008 Green National Convention. Her campaign focused on issues such as racial profiling, September 11, 2001 attacks, and the Green Party's 10 key values. She also supported statehood for the District of Columbia, slavery reparations, electoral reforms including instant runoff voting, and calls for abolishing the death penalty and the War on Drugs.

Since the Great Depression, Rhode Island politics have been dominated by the Rhode Island Democratic Party, and the state is considered part of the Democrats' "Blue Wall." Democrats have won all but four presidential elections since 1928, with the exceptions being 1952, 1956, 1972, and 1984. The Rhode Island Republican Party, although virtually non-existent in the Rhode Island General Assembly, has remained competitive in gubernatorial elections, having won one as recently as 2006. Until 2014, Democrats did not win a gubernatorial election in the state since 1992, and it was not until 2018 that they won one by double digits. The Rhode Island General Assembly has continuously been under Democratic control since 1959.

The North Carolina Green Party is a political party in the state of North Carolina, and the NC affiliate of the Green Party of the United States. It has officially qualified for ballot access as of 27 March 2018, until 2020 statewide election. Since 2006, it has worked in collaboration with other organizations seeking to reform state election laws.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Justice Party (United States)</span> Political party in United States

The Justice Party is a political party in the United States. It was organized in November 2011 by a group of political activists including former mayor of Salt Lake City Rocky Anderson as an alternative to what they saw as a duopoly of the two major political parties. One of the major goals of the Justice Party is removing corporate domination and other concentrated wealth from politics. In 2012, the Justice Party nominated Rocky Anderson for president and Luis J. Rodriguez for vice president. The Justice Party endorsed Bernie Sanders during the primary election in 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2012 United States presidential election in Rhode Island</span> Election in Rhode Island

The 2012 United States presidential election in Rhode Island took place on November 6, 2012, as part of the 2012 United States presidential election in which all 50 states plus the District of Columbia participated. Rhode Island voters chose four electors to represent them in the Electoral College via a popular vote pitting incumbent Democratic President Barack Obama and his running mate, Vice President Joe Biden, against Republican challenger and former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney and his running mate, Congressman Paul Ryan.

The Iowa Green Party is the Iowa-affiliate of the Green Party of the United States (GPUS). The 2013 Annual Meeting of the GPUS was held at the Iowa Memorial Union in Iowa City, Iowa.

The Green Party of Alaska (GPAK) was a political party in the U.S. state of Alaska. It was the Alaska affiliate of the Green Party of the United States from its founding until 2021. The Green Party of Alaska was the first state to gain Green Party ballot access, in 1990, when Jim Sykes ran for governor. Sykes had previously filed a ballot access lawsuit, citing an earlier case, Vogler v. Miller.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2016 Green Party presidential primaries</span>

The 2016 Green Party presidential primaries were a series of primaries, caucuses and state conventions in which voters elected delegates to represent a candidate for the Green Party's nominee for President of the United States at the 2016 Green National Convention. The primaries, held in numerous states on various dates from January to July 2016, featured elections publicly funded and held as an alternative ballot, concurrent with the Democratic and Republican primaries, and elections privately funded by the Green Party, held non-concurrently with the major party primaries. Over 400 delegates to the Green National Convention were elected in these primaries, with a candidate needing a simple majority of these delegates to become the party's nominee for president.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2016 United States presidential election in Rhode Island</span> Election in Rhode Island

The 2016 United States presidential election in Rhode Island took place on November 8, 2016, as part of the 2016 United States presidential election in which all 50 states plus the District of Columbia participated. Rhode Island voters chose four electors to represent them in the Electoral College via a popular vote.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2012 Green Party presidential primaries</span>

The Green Party of the United States held primaries in several states in 2012. Jill Stein won most of the primaries and was formally nominated as the party's nominee during the 2012 Green National Convention.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2008 Green Party presidential primaries</span>

The Green Party of the United States held primaries in several states in 2008. Cynthia McKinney won most of the primaries and was formally nominated as the party's nominee during the 2008 Green National Convention.

The Green Party of Idaho is the state party organization for Idaho of the Green Party of the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2020 Green Party presidential primaries</span> Series of primaries, caucuses and state conventions

The 2020 Green Party presidential primaries were a series of primary elections, caucuses and state conventions in which voters elected delegates to represent a candidate for the Green Party's nominee for President of the United States at the 2020 Green National Convention. The primaries, were held in numerous U.S. states on various dates from early spring into early summer of 2020, and featured elections publicly funded, concurrent with the Democratic Party and Republican Party primaries, and elections privately funded by the Green Party, held non-concurrently with the major party primaries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 Rhode Island lieutenant gubernatorial election</span> Election for Lieutenant Governor of Rhode Island

The 2022 Rhode Island lieutenant gubernatorial election was held on November 8, 2022, to elect the lieutenant governor of the state of Rhode Island. The election coincided with various other federal and state elections, including for Governor of Rhode Island. Primary elections were held on September 13. Rhode Island is one of 21 states that elects its lieutenant governor separately from its governor.

References

  1. Andrew Stewart (March 10, 2021). "The Ocean State Green Party: A Personal Narrative". Rhode Island Media Cooperative. Retrieved July 29, 2021.
  2. "Faces of the Green Party". George Washington University. Retrieved 22 October 2012.
  3. 1 2 3 Appleman, Eric. "Rhode Island". Democracy in Action. Retrieved 23 October 2012.
  4. Reynolds, Mark. "Local Green Party backs ex-Ga. legislator for President". Providence Journal. Retrieved 22 October 2012.
  5. Morgan, Thomas. "Green Party candidates qualify for presidential ballot in RI". The Providence Journal Co. Retrieved 22 October 2012.
  6. Stewart, Andrew. "Libertarian and Green presidential primary developments". rifuture.org. Retrieved 13 October 2016.
  7. "Gpus Ri Accreditation Committee Complaint".
  8. Green Party of RI [@RIGreens] (May 28, 2020). "R.I. GREENS WON'T RUN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE - Citing the danger of Trump's re-election, the Green Party of Rhode Island says it won't put a Green candidate on the state's presidential ballot, breaking ranks with the national party" (Tweet). Retrieved May 28, 2020 via Twitter.