Seven candidates for 2008 Green presidential nomination on primary ballots

GREEN PARTY OF THE UNITED STATES
http://www.gp.org

For Immediate Release:
Monday, December 17, 2007

Contacts:
Scott McLarty, Media Coordinator, 202-518-5624,
cell 202-904-7614, mclarty@greens.org
Starlene Rankin, Media Coordinator, 916-995-3805,
starlene@gp.org


Seven candidates for the 2008 Green nomination
will be on state ballots for the primaries

• The candidates: Jared Ball, Elaine Brown, Jesse
Johnson, Cynthia McKinney, Kent Mesplay, Ralph
Nader, Kat Swift


WASHINGTON, DC -- The Green Party will have up to
seven candidates for the party's presidential
nomination on state ballots for the primary
elections in 2008.

"The Green Party, in most states where Greens
have ballot status, participate in the primaries
just as Democrats and Republicans do," said Jim
Coplen, co-chair of the Green Party of the United
States.  "Green voters will vote in the primaries
the same way registered Democrats and Republicans
vote."

Among other primaries, the Green Party will
participate primaries in four states on February
5.  The Green Party has vowed to achieve 51
ballot lines in 2008 in all the states and the
District of Columbia, and has committed party
resources for this purpose.  Greens currently
have ballot access in 21 states Green Parties
(including DC)
<http://www.gp.org/statelist.shtml>.

"We're especially proud of the diversity and
depth of political experience represented by our
candidates.  We look forward to a vigorous and
friendly competition for the nomination," said
Ruth Weill, co-chair of the Green Party's Annual
National Meeting Committee.

The list of Green presidential hopefuls includes
three women (two of them African American), one
African American man, at least two candidates
with Native American ancestry, one of Arab
ancestry, a former member of Congress, two former
Green presidential candidates, the former leader
of the Black Panther Party, an environmental
engineer, a college professor, a candidate who
will turn 35 in June 2008, and a 73-year-old.

The nomination will be decided by about 800
delegates from state parties who will gather at
the Green Party national convention in Chicago,
Illinois, July 10-13.

The candidates:

• Jared Ball, independent journalist; radio host
(WPFW 89.3 FM Pacifica Radio in Washington, DC),
hip-hop scholar, assistant professor of
communications studies at Morgan State University
in Baltimore, Maryland
http://www.jaredball.com

• Elaine Brown, 2005 Green candidate for Mayor of
Brunswick, Georgia; former leader of the Black
Panther Party; organizer of Mothers Advocating
Juvenile Justice and National Alliance for
Radical Prison Reform
http://www.elainebrown.org

• Jesse Johnson, 2006 US Senate candidate and
2004 gubernatorial candidate for the Mountain
Party in West Virginia (now affiliate state party
of the Green Party of the United States);
filmmaker
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mMxgYnmdHfg

• Cynthia McKinney, former member of the US House
of Representatives (Georgia), 1993 to 2003, 2005
to 2007; former member of the Georgia House of
Representatives, 1988-1992
http://www.runcynthiarun.org

• Kent Mesplay, 2004 candidate for the Green
presidential nomination; former president of
Turtle Island Institute; environmental engineer,
alternative energy activist; California Green
organizer
http://www.mesplay.org

• Ralph Nader, 1996 and 2000 Green candidate for
President; 2004 independent candidate for
President; consumer advocate (Howie Hawkins of
the Green Party of New York State has consented
to serve as a 'placeholder' candidate until Mr.
Nader announces his intentions for the 2008
election)
http://www.draftnader.org

• Kat Swift, Texas Green organizer; former Campus
Greens leader; activist with Clean Money San
Antonio and San Antonio Democracy Now
http://www.bexargreens.org/katforprez

Contact information, photographs, video clips,
and bios of the candidates can be found on the
candidates' own web sites.  Video clips of many
of the candidates are also linked at
<http://www.gp.org/audio_video.shtml>.

Not all seven of the candidates will be on the
ballot in every state where Greens are
participating in primaries.  In states where
deadlines have already passed, most but not all
of the campaigns have submitted required
petitions with valid signatures to their
respective elections offices.


MORE INFORMATION

Green Party of the United States
http://www.gp.org
202-319-7191, 866-41GREEN
Fax 202-319-7193
• Green Party News Center
http://www.gp.org/newscenter.shtml
• Green Party Speakers Bureau
http://www.gp.org/speakers
• Green candidate database for 2007 and other
campaign  information:
http://www.gp.org/elections.shtml

Media credentialing
http://www.gp.org/committees/media/kit.shtml

Green Party Presidential Campaign Support
Committee
http://www.gp.org/committees/pcsc/index.shtml


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