THE GREEN PARTY OF CALIFORNIA
www.cagreens.org
Wednesday, June 7, 2006
Contact: Cres Vellucci, GPCA Press Secretary, 916.996-9170
For a URL of this release see http://www.cagreens.org/press/pr060607.shtml
For a complete breakdown of Green Party candidates, see http://www.cagreens.org
Green Party Primary Results: Todd Chretien wins US Senate nod; teacher nearly forces runoff in state schools chief race;
anti-war advocate makes Oakland City Council runoff; Camejo leads state slate again
SACRAMENTO, CA -- The Green Party of California chose its slate of statewide and federal candidates for the November
election Tuesday, including Todd Chretien, who won a three-way race for the right to meet Sen. Dianne Feinstein in the US
Senate race and make the war in Iraq the defining issue in the Fall.
Another Green candidate, seventh-grade teacher Sarah Knopp, nearly pulled off a major upset in the state Supt. of Public
Instruction race, garnering more than a half million votes and almost forcing incumbent Jack O'Connell into a runoff. Knopp
finished second with 17.3 percent of the vote. O'Connell had 52.1 percent, barely enough to avoid the runoff.
And, in Oakland, Green candidate Aimee Allison, a community activist and Gulf War veteran who won conscientious
objector status, finished second and forced a November runoff with Patricia Kernighan in an Oakland City Council race.
Chretien (45.5 percent), who defeated Tian Harter (37.6) and Kent Mesplay (16.9) in the contested Green party US Senate race, said he will make his race against Sen. Dianne Feinstein a "referendum on her support for the war in Iraq" in November.
In the first-ever contested Green Party State Assembly primary, Ricardo Costa edged Philip Koebel to win the party's nomination in the 44th Assembly District (Pasadena/Los Angeles). Seven other Greens won their uncontested legislative races, five for Assembly and two for state Senate.
Green voters also nominated Peter Camejo as their gubernatorial candidate.Camejo was was the party's 2002 General and 2003 Recall Election candidate, and Ralph Nader's 2004 vice-presidential pick. Also running on the state ticket will be Donna Warren, Lt. Gov; Mike Wyman, Attorney General; Forrest Hill, Secretary of State; Mehul Thakker, Treasurer; Laura Wells, Controller and Larry Cafiero, Insurance Commissioner.
Seven Greens won their primaries in House races, including two civil rights lawyers - Bill Paparian (29th CD, Pasadena), a former Pasadena mayor, who successfully represented an environmentalist and anti-war activist wrongly accused of domestic terrorism and Jeff Kravitz (5th CD, Sacramento), a constitutional law professor and radio talk show host.
