GREEN PARTY DOES WELL ON LOCAL LEVEL

The 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.

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%. Rebekah Kennedy apparently set a new percentage record for a Green running for the US Senate, with 202,016 votes or 21% in her Arkansas race. Arkansas Greens showed the most dramatic electoral growth of any state Green Party.

The Illinois Green Party ran 54 candidates, the most of any state Green Party in 2008. 2008 is the first year in which the West Virginia Mountain Party competed in elections as an affiliate of the Green Party of the United States, with Jesse Johnson's run for Governor. Mr. Johnson's 4.5% is the highest percentage for an alternative party candidate for Governor of West Virginia since 1912, when the Socialist Party polled 5.6%.

Other Green Party successes:

Bruce Delgado was elected Mayor of Marina City, Monterey County, California Delgado joins California Green mayors Gayle McLaughlin of Richmond and Craig Litwin of Sebastopol.

Ross Mirkarimi was reelected to his District 5 seat on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in California, with 77% of the vote. This is the seat that was occupied in 1978 by Harvey Milk, the first openly gay man elected to public office in California.

Art Goodtimes was reelected to his San Miguel County Commissioner seat in Colorado.

Cara Jennings was reelected as Lake Worth Commissioner, Palm Beach, Florida.

James Nicita was elected Oregon City Commissioner in Clackamas County, Oregon

Michael Beilstein was reelected to the Corvallis City Council in Oregon.

In the District of Columbia seven DC Statehood Green Party candidates were elected to Advisory Neighborhood Commission seats.