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Connecticut Greens Gain Voters in Local and State Elections.

Connecticut Green Party
www.ctgreens.org

November 09, 2004

Connecticut Green Party Headquarters
418A New Britain Avenue, Hartford, CT

Press Release- for immediate release- November 7, 2004
Contact: Mike DeRosa, State Co-chair, (860) 956-8170 or (860) 919-4042
Tim McKee, GP spokesperson, (860) 643-2282 or cell (860) 324-1684

CONNECTICUT GREENS GAIN IN LOCAL AND STATE VOTERS NATIONAL NUMBERS- 63 WINS IN 2004, 212 ELECTED GREENS IN U.S.

HARTFORD, CT- The Green Party of Connecticut said today that despite its lower numbers for the Presidential Race, the Green's local and state voting numbers improved in 2004. 

The Greens also announced it would discuss these results and the Presidential election in a state wide public forum on called "WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?" Saturday, Nov. 13, 11 AM to 2 PM.First Church Of Christ, 190 Court Street,( off Main Street at Court) in Middletown, CT. 

Tim McKee, a spokesperson for the Greens, said the forum is free, open to the public, and is a good way to find out what the Green Party is all about. Discussions will address the Greens local, state and national agenda after the election including improving the election process, national health care, stopping the war in the Middle East and other important issues.

On the national front, McKee explained "We gained in local elections across the country and we had a split in the Presidential race. David Cobb was the Green Party Presidential nominee and many Greens also worked for Ralph Nader running as an Independent. We had almost 3 million votes for Nader as the Green Presidential candidate in 2000, with Cobb getting 105,590 votes and Nader with 394,821 and perhaps tens of thousands more UNCOUNTED write in votes still to be added later. In CT, Nader received 12,978 with Cobb getting 9,564.

With the Greens being divided into three camps on the Presidential race, one saying no candidate at all and defeat Bush at all cost, Cobb backers using a "Smart states" race pushing hard in lopsided states that were sure things for either Bush or Kerry, and Nader Greens wanting "all out" race again. McKee said the Presidential results are like a sports term, "we are in a rebuilding cycle".

But despite lower Presidential numbers, on a national level we ran 432 races across the country with 63 WINS in 2004, McKee said. "We now have 212 elected Greens in 27 states, a great start for a new political party!"

McKee added "In the District of Columbia, we won 6 of the 12 races we were in and other local races were very promising for the future, too!"

In Connecticut, McKee explained Calvin Nicholson ran for the Registrar of Voters in New Haven proving that can Greens add voters. Nicholson was running for second place or better, because both the Democrat Party and Republican Party are guaranteed a paid Registrar of Voter in New Haven under the law. But the Democrats and Republicans totals were stagnant and had almost the exact vote totals from 2000 and 2004 races, while Nicholson ADDED 2,618 new voters to the race.

The figures for 2000 are:
Rae Tramentano (R)-143, Sharon Ferrucci (D)- 24,345.
The 2004 figures are:Tramentano (R)-4,300,Ferrucci (D)- 24,460 and Nicholson (G)- 2,618.

In other examples, Nancy Burton, a lawyer who ran for the first time as a Green for the State House said "My first campaign for public office began a short two months ago. I consider capturing one out of every five votes for a progressive third party, never before on the ballot, in such a short time, as an exceptional achievement. My campaign brought into focus the menace of nuclear power and what can be done to rid the state government of pervasive corruption. My primary purpose has been served."

Tom Sevigny ran for State Senator again and endorsed by the Hartford Courant. This time he received 1,000 more votes than 2002. 

Mike DeRosa running as a State Senator got 2,050 votes in the 1st district CT senate contest (south Hartford and Wethersfield). Mike got 859 votes in Wethersfield and 1,191 votes in Hartford. This represents a 410 vote increase over his 2000 run for the same CT senatorial seat (a 25% increase).

Ralph Ferrucci ran for Congress in the Third District against Incumbent Democrat Rosa DeLauro in race with little news coverage and that was lopsided. Despite Ferrucci sometimes being left out of some stories, pictures and voter guides, his campaign did better than the last Green candidate (Charles Pillsbury, 2002) in the more "working-class" towns: Ansonia, Derby, East Haven, Naugatuck, Prospect, Seymour, Shelton,Stratford and Waterbury.

Vote Totals for Green Party candidates:

Joyce Chen: State House of Representatives - 1405 votes, 27.28%
Nancy Burton: State House of Representatives - 1649 votes, 17.9%
Mike DeRosa: State Senate - 2050 votes, 11.36%
John Amarilios: State Senate - 2799 votes, 9.53%
Calvin Nicholson: Registrar of Voters - 2618 votes, 8.34%
Thomas J. Sevigny: State Senate - 2371 votes, 5.06%
Ralph Ferrucci: U.S. House of Representatives - 7174 votes, 2.6%
Colin Bennett: State Senate - 1069 votes, 2.35%
David Bedell: Registrar of Voters (last minute write in-uncounted as of now )
David Albano: State Senate (last minute write in- uncounted as of now)
#end of release#

Other contact numbers:
Tom Sevigny, (860) 693-8344
Ralph Ferrucci, (203) 430-9342