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One Month Before the Convention, The Choice Apparently Narrows to Cobb and Nader. |
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Thursday, May 27, 2004 Contacts: WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Less than a month before 'FORWARD 2004!', the Green National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the Green presidential primaries have apparently narrowed the choice to nominating David Cobb and endorsing Ralph Nader. Mr. Cobb currently leads the count among all candidates seeking the nomination, with 158 of 835 possible Green delegates. However, with many delegates allocated to other candidates who have declared support for Ralph Nader and many other delegates uncommitted, endorsement of Mr. Nader remains a possibility. The Green presidential nominee will appear on existing Green ballot lines in 23 states, and is expected to win ballot access in another dozen states. "The national Green campaign is more than just a question of obtaining and maintaining ballot lines," said Nan Garrett, Georgia Green delegate to the Green Party of the United States. "It's also a matter of millions of potential Green citizens looking forward to the decision of grass-roots Greens, voting as delegates at the convention, and expressing what they want for a change and not just what they don't want." Unless a majority rally unexpectedly behind a third option, Green delegates will probably face a choice between running a homegrown Green candidate and backing the independent candidacy of an important historic figure. David Cobb, a Green Party activist and native of Texas, has earned much of his support by visiting over 40 states in arguing for the need to run a Green presidential candidate in 2004. Running a high-profile independent campaign, consumer advocate Ralph Nader is championed by many Greens as the strongest voice of opposition to the political establishment. Greens delegates will make their decision on Saturday, June 26 at the convention. Nomination and endorsement both require majority votes of the delegates attending the convention. Voting on the party's nomination will take place first; should no nominee receive a majority vote, a vote on endorsement may occur. "The other conventions are just reality TV. This will be the only convention this year that means anything," said Ben Manski, co-chair of the Green Party of the United States. The Green National Convention is expected to draw several thousand participants. The convention will take place June 23-28, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the same city that launched multiple progressive Republican, Socialist, and Progressive Party presidential campaigns. The convention will feature a march against the war, several concerts, a mass rally, panels and workshops, as well as the adoption of the 2004 Party Platform. MORE INFORMATION The Green Party of the United States search: elct, prty |