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Green Candidates Included in More Debates, Winning Greater Support. |
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THE GREEN PARTY OF THE UNITED STATES WASHINGTON, DC -- While some debate sponsors continue to bar Green Party candidates, Greens are participating in more and more debates - or getting public attention when they're excluded. "Democrats and sometimes even Republicans are right to fear the inclusion of Greens in candidates' debates," said David Cobb, Green candidate for Attorney General of Texas. "Whenever Greens participate, they speak to the interests and ideals of voters, come away with a surge of support." Some Green candidates have encountered fierce resistance. Ted Glick, running for the New Jersey seat in the U.S. Senate, was arrested in September for trying to enter the News 12 Studio in Edison, N.J., the site of a debate between Democratic Senator Robert Torricelli and Republican Douglas Forrester, and is now seeking inclusion in the final televised debate on WNBC. In May, Michigan gubernatorial candidate Douglas Campbell spent the evening in jail for attempting to participate in a debate sponsored by the League of Conservation Voters. Six police officers removed him with such vigor that Campbell, who offered no resistance, received a broken rib. But many Greens have broke through the antidemocratic two-party stranglehold on debates, and have been admitted to more debates than in years past, proving the party's growth in numbers and increasing viability. Green gubernatorial candidates in seven states are participating in at least nine debates this week. Green gubernatorial candidates have now been included in the debates in the following states: Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Maine, Michigan, Alaska, Iowa, and New York. A full list of Green Party debate participation and exclusion stories can be found at <http://www.gp.org/debates>. "The debate over debates has grown more contentious ever since Green candidate Ralph Nader was barred from the presidential debates by the Democrats and Republicans who run the Commission on Presidential Debates," said Starlene Rankin, who represents the Green Party's Lavender Caucus. "The solution is independent control of debates -- and a challenge to the media to recognize the censorship of candidates outside of the narrow Democratic and Republican spectrum." Greens have reported dramatic confrontations over debates in several states, with typical dramas occurring in California and Massachusetts: CALIFORNIA MORE INFORMATION The Green Party of the United States Updates on Green candidates in debates Index of Green Party candidates in 2002 search: elct |
